Arsenal and Tottenham were reportedly among the clubs that tried to sign Real Madrid ace Marco Asensio in the summer, his agent has confirmed.
In an interview with El Larguero, a program on Cadena SER, Horacio Gaggioli, Marco Asensio’s agent has cleared the air about the speculation surrounding the Spanish international in the summer transfer window. It has been clarified that Arsenal and Tottenham attempted to sign him, but were unable to swoop him away from Real Madrid.
Marco Asensio has endured quite a topsy turvy ride since joining Real Madrid from RCD Mallorca in 2014. His stock has been plummeting ever since he sustained a long-term knee injury at the onset of the 2019/20 season, and he has struggled to perform consistently since returning to action last year.
However, a hat-trick against former club Mallorca this week has now taken his tally to three goals in six appearances so far this season. And there is a sense of optimism surrounding him as a result, with the hopes of a turnaround in form and fortunes. However, the Spanish ace could easily have left Real Madrid in the summer, with Arsenal and Tottenham attempting to snap him up.
Arsenal hold a long-standing interest in Asensio, having tried to swoop him away from Real Madrid on several occasions previously. A move never really came to fruition but the continued interest in the 25-year-old is understandable, despite the advent of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, as he could provide an injection of creativity that has been missing for the Gunners.
Tottenham, on the other hand, have been Asensio’s suitors for some time as well, which make sense as the likes of Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura have never really been able to deliver the goods on a consistent basis since joining the club, which has mount the pressure on Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
As per Horacio Gaggioli, Asensio’s agent, Arsenal were prepared to shell out £34 million to land the Spaniard while Tottenham wanted him on loan. A third suitor, AC Milan were keen on signing Asensio as well, hoping to engineer a deal similar to that of Brahim Diaz, who is currently on loan at San Siro from Real Madrid.
The Merengues were even prepared to offload Asensio this past summer before an intervention from manager Carlo Ancelotti stopped his departure. Only time will tell whether the Real Madrid manager was correct in his decision to block his transfer, but the 25-year-old ace would surely have derived a lot of confidence from such a stance.
