'They made that ridiculous bid' - Arsenal's failed move for Suarez still hurts Wright

Arsenal legend Ian Wright is still hurting over the Gunners’ “nightmare” attempt to lure Luis Suarez away from Liverpool in 2013.

On the back of a biting incident involving Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, a Uruguayan frontman started to push for the exits at Anfield.

Arsene Wenger was keen to keep the South American in English football and was made aware of a £40 million ($48m) release clause.

In a bid to trigger that, Arsenal tabled an offer of one pound above what was required .

Liverpool laughed off the efforts of a Premier League rival to land their most prized asset and made it clear that no deal would be done.

Suarez ended up spending another 12 months on Merseyside, firing the Reds close to the Premier League title in a 2013-14 campaign that saw him named PFA Player of the Year.

He eventually left for Barcelona, on the back of another biting saga at the World Cup finals in Brazil, with Arsenal left to reflect on what could have been.

Wright believes a prolific striker could have been secured had those at Emirates Stadium gone about things in the right manner, with their actions considered to have been “ridiculous”.

The Gunners legend told the BBC: “It’s a nightmare to think about because there was a time when he could have gone to Arsenal but they made that ridiculous bid, a pound extra.

“He left a Liverpool side that should have won the league to go to Barcelona when they were amazing - and made them better. He's amazing.”

Suarez found the target on 82 occasions in 133 appearances for Liverpool – including back-to-back seasons in which he broke through the 30-goal barrier.

One of his most memorable efforts came in a meeting with Newcastle at Anfield in November 2012.

Wright considers that strike to be one of the finest the English top-flight has ever seen, adding on a man who has taken his game to even greater heights at Barca: "He scored one of the best goals I've seen in the Premier League.

"People talk about Paolo di Canio's but that Suarez one against Newcastle was unbelievable - [controlling] a 60-yard pass, on his shoulder."