The Frenchman saw two bids knocked back by Liverpool for their star striker, the last being a bid of £40 million plus 1 pound which was supposed to trigger a clause in the controversial striker’s contract.

However, no such clause existed and the Reds refused to entertain any bids from a direct title rival, even though Suarez confirmed his desire to leave for a club plying their trade in the Champions League.

With the Uruguayan forced to stay at Merseyside, Wenger refocused his transfer targets and purchased Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid in a club-record deal worth £42.4 million. After 9 league matches, it has seemed a sound decision from both clubs as they sit in the top three of the Premier League, with Arsenal occupying top spot with 22 points.

Liverpool refused to sell Suarez, and the striker has accepted the decision and already scored 6 goals in 4 league matches to proper the Reds to third in the table. On the other hand, the arrival of Ozil has sent a message to the Gunners rivals that they are prepared to spend big and also bought some much-needed quality in the final third.

Although the Gunners are sitting pretty on top of the table, there is still a sense that a quality forward is required to guarantee success at the club. Suarez has again been linked with a switch to the Emirates in January, although a deal at this stage looks highly unlikely.

Ahead of the showdown between both clubs this Saturday, Wenger was asked whether he could make a third bid for the 26-year-old. According to Metro, Wenger refused to rule out a bid for the prolific frontman and instead focused on the all-important clash against Liverpool.

Speaking ahead of the game, he said, “I am not focused on now – just 24 hours before a game with Liverpool. The media made the Suarez bids public. I didn’t make anything public.”

He added, “Look, he plays for Liverpool and at the moment he is doing very well. What is important for me is players who play for Arsenal and not those who could play for Arsenal. What is important is the players who will play against Luis Suarez.”