ARSENAL MANAGER ARSENE Wenger remains keen on securing a deal for Liverpool forward Luis Suarez.
The Emirates Stadium outfit have seen a number of bids, reaching as high as £40million, rejected by the Merseyside club, who do not want to sell the Uruguay international.
But Wenger is determined to add the 26-year-old to his squad as he looks to build a side capable of challenging for the Premier League title.
“We will completely respect what Liverpool wants to do,” Wenger said.
“We want to (sign Suarez) if it is feasible in an amicable way.
“I am a great believer that you have to keep as much confidentiality as possible, which is quite difficult in the modern world.”
Arsenal have thus far added just one player to their squad during the close-season, with striker Yaya Sanogo joining from Auxerre.
But Wenger is unconcerned by their lack of action in the transfer market and believes the club will have bolstered their ranks before their season opener away to Aston Villa on August 17.
“We are working very hard to strengthen our squad,” he continued. “I am confident. You look at many teams around us. Nothing has happened until now.“At the moment the market hasn’t moved a lot. Apart from Man City, nobody has done anything.”
The Frenchman also confirmed captain Thomas Vermaelen will miss six more weeks of training with a back problem but left-back Nacho Monreal is close to returning from his own back injury.
“Vermaelen is out for six more weeks, Monreal will start training on Monday,” he added.
Meanwhile, he believes Gareth Bale’s potential move to Real Madrid would make a mockery of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.
The La Liga giants are reported to have agreed a deal worth around €100million with Tottenham for the 23-year-old Welsh star. And Wenger feels such a deal would negate the impact of the financial regulations brought in to ensure clubs live within their means.
“It makes a joke of it,” the Frenchman said. “It’s quite amazing that in the year where the Financial Fair Play comes in, the football world has gone completely crazy.“You wonder what kind of impact and effect it has on the football world. It looks like it has made everybody worse than before.”
Despite Tottenham being Arsenal’s biggest rivals, Wenger went on to say he hopes Bale stays in the Premier League. “It is never good to lose a big player,” he added. “He is a British player and I believe it is important that the Premier League keeps the best players.”
