Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Gunners Must Raise Bid to Win Luis Suarez Sweepstakes

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is easily one of the most sought-after players on the transfer market this offseason. Arsenal has been one of his top suitors, but a few other high-profile clubs are pursuing him as well, so the Gunners must up the ante in order to acquire his services.

According to Geoff Sweet of The Sun, Real Madrid is set to offer Liverpool £40 million in exchange for the Uruguayan star. The Reds reportedly rejected a £30 million offer from Arsenal, so the Gunners are suddenly in a position that requires them to raise their bid significantly.

While Suarez hasn't tipped his hand with regard to where he might ultimately end up, he admitted that he has a handful of options and Arsenal is among them: "It is good to know I am valued by teams like Arsenal. Now there are two or three options and the club knows."

Unless Arsenal adjusts its bid, though, it's hard to imagine Suarez ending up at Emirates Stadium. Suarez has already admitted that he would love to play for Madrid, so it's safe to say that Arsenal is now a distant second in the Suarez bidding war.

It also stands to reason that Liverpool would prefer to sell Suarez to Madrid, assuming Los Blancos' bid is higher or equal to Arsenal's. The Reds would have to deal with Suarez a couple times per season for the foreseeable future if he were to land with Liverpool, but they wouldn't have to worry about him at all if he goes to Madrid save for a potential Champions League meeting down the road.

Whatever the case, Madrid has forced Arsenal's hand if it follows through with its monster offer. Perhaps Arsenal will balk at increasing its bid due to the fact that it already has dangerous attackers such as Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud on the roster.

While that may be true, Arsenal needs to make a splashy move in order to take that next step in the EPL. The Gunners had a strong 2012-13 season as they finished fourth behind Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. In fact, they finished just five points out of second place, so they are very much on the ascent.

United blew them away by 16 points, however, and Arsenal doesn't stand much of a chance at catching the Red Devils unless it brings in another star. Suarez fits that profile as he is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the world today regardless of the character concerns that come along with him.

The 26-year-old had one of the most productive years of his career this past season, as he potted 30 goals and dished out 11 assists for Liverpool. He didn't have much support offensively, which is part of the reason why Liverpool had a disappointing season overall, but his contributions were immense and he is worth the huge price tag that is attached to him.

Suarez wouldn't come without risk, though, as he is still serving a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic back in April. His attitude is a major concern as are his bizarre on-field antics. There have been plenty of eccentric stars over the course of the sport's history, though, so the team that gets him will have to take the good with the bad.

That is something Arsenal must consider when deciding whether or not to usurp Madrid. Allowing Real Madrid to get Suarez would be the easy, low-risk decision, but the Gunners need to take some risks in order to challenge for an EPL title.

Because of that, the Arsenal brass should do everything possible to exceed Madrid's reported bid. With Suarez in the fold, the Gunners would suddenly be a very real threat to Manchester United's reign atop the Premier League.

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