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Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has sensationally revealed that Arsenal made a move for him in 2010 and it was blocked by the club's ex-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Arsenal apparently made a £20 million offer which was rejected on the grounds that it sent a negative message to potential buyers of the club.
Reina conceded that he was interested in moving to Arsenal, albeit with a heavy heart, but he was used as a trading chip in the takeover process.
"Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering £20m, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper,â wrote Reina in his new autobiography. âPart of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart.
"When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not because I had been told that I was too good a keeper to leave.
"The reason I was given was quite different - and it left me feeling down. I was told that my continued presence was crucial to the sale of the club. I was simply a bargaining chip in the sales process."
Whether this admission will stir up interest from Arsenal again remains to be seen.
Written by Nikunj Merchant
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