Bernard sheds some light on his failed transfer to the north London giants last summer.
Brazilian winger Bernard has revealed the transfer negotiations his former club Atletico Mineiro had with Premier League sides Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur last summer.
The Shakhtar Donetsk starlet was interested in a move to England, but hinted that he had no choice but to move to Ukraine instead, since the Gunners did not have the finances to pay his hefty €25m transfer fee.
“We had offers from Tottenham, and according to my Atletico president Arsenal were interested too, but didn’t have the money,” the 21-year-old was quoted by FourFourTwo.
“All of it happened in a moment Europe was facing a serious financial crisis, so there was interest from various teams, but the only one able to pay straight away was Shakhtar.”
Arsenal were linked with Bernard last summer as they wanted the Brazil international to come in as a replacement for Gervinho, but the move failed to materialise.
The South American not have completely closed the door on the Emirates Stadium and the Premier League yet though, as he suggested that he would consider a move away from Ukraine if the political situation in the country forces him to do so.
Bernard has 10 caps for Brazil, and is in coach Luiz Felipe Scolari’s final squad for the World Cup in his home country this year.
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