Shanghai SIPG midfielder Oscar has confirmed that Arsenal pair David Luiz and Willian tried to persuade him into moving to the Emirates this summer.

The trio have played together for both Chelsea and Brazil, and asked about his future recently, Oscar said he turned down advances from the Gunners pair during a phone call, as he intends to see out his contract in China:

“They called me, they had to call me. Because we have good communication. Sometimes I talk to them. They said ‘come to Arsenal, come here’. But for me, it’s a little more difficult. I have a contract with Shanghai, it’s a little more difficult to leave. Willian had finished the contract. I was happy that they got together again. And happy that Willian is happy. The most important thing is to be happy, regardless of the place. So I hope they are happy there.”

Oscar went on to say that he is interested in moving back to Europe, with Chelsea being his preferred destination after spending the best part of five years at Stamford Bridge.

Whether David Luiz and Willian were seriously tapping him up, perhaps we’ll never know. Although a talented player, it’s hard to see where the 29-year-old would fit into Mikel Arteta’s plans anyway. The Brazilian does tend to play his best football as a number 10 but there would be no room for him in Gunners’ preferred 3-4-3 formation at the moment.