Arsenal made £34m bid for Marco Asensio but Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti convinced him to stay

Arsenal ‘made £34million bid for Marco Asensio’ but Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti convinced forward to stay… with the forward staking his claim for a regular place in team with stunning hat-trick against Mallorca

  • Arsenal made a £34million bid to sign Marco Asensio from Real Madrid 
  • Tottenham and AC Milan were also keen on signing the Spanish forward
  • But Real coach Carlo Ancelotti convinced the 25-year-old to stay in Madrid
  • Asensio scored a hat-trick against boyhood club Mallorca this week 


Arsenal did some of their summer shopping at Real Madrid by completing a permanent move for Martin Odegaard and they also tried to sign Marco Asensio from the Spanish giants.

Asensio’s progress at Real has been stunted by a horrific knee injury he sustained in a pre-season friendly against Arsenal in July 2019 which forced him to miss 11 months of action.

He struggled to hold down a regular place in the team last season in Zinedine Zidane’s final campaign in charge and he subsequently missed out on a place in Spain’s Euro 2020 squad too.

Arsenal tried to sign Marco Asensio in the summer, according to Cadena Ser radio station

Arsenal tried to sign Marco Asensio in the summer, according to Cadena Ser radio station

Mikel Arteta's side made a £34m bid to Real for the forward but he eventually decided to stay

Mikel Arteta’s side made a £34m bid to Real for the forward but he eventually decided to stay

His situation led to him pondering a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu and Arsenal were one of the clubs who looked to snap him up, according to reports in Spain.

Radio station Cadena Ser has revealed that Tottenham and AC Milan also took an interest in signing the forward but Arsenal were the keenest and tabled a £34million bid for the 25-year-old.

But Carlo Ancelotti persuaded the player to remain at the club and at the start of the season spoke about his plans to deploy Asensio on the right of midfield rather than his usual position in a front three.

Asensio, however, was not in the starting line-up for Real’s opening LaLiga game at Alaves and although he came off the bench in that game and in the team’s next four matches, he played no part in Sunday’s 2-1 win at Valencia.

His omission from the team led to reports in the Spanish media that he was unhappy with Ancelotti and was looking for a move.

The Italian responded to questions about Asensio in his usual calm manner, saying it was good for players to not be happy when they were not in the team.

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti played a big role in convincing Asensio to remain in Madrid

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti played a big role in convincing Asensio to remain in Madrid

Asensio scored a hat-trick in his first LaLiga start of the season against Mallorca on Wednesday

Asensio scored a hat-trick in his first LaLiga start of the season against Mallorca on Wednesday

He then finally gave Asensio the starting berth he craved against boyhood club Mallorca on Wednesday and the player grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 win.

Asensio neglected to celebrate any of the goals against the club where he grew up and turned professional but he was delighted with his performance.  

‘I knew I had to make the most of my chance so I’m happy with the win, the goals and the fact we were able to continue our great start,’ Asensio said. 

‘I think I’ve shown the manager he can count on me, there’s a lot of competition in the squad and when I have the opportunity I have to take it.

‘It was a very special game for me as I have a huge amount of affection for Mallorca, the club where I grew up and that shaped me.’

Asensio (pictured with Eduardo Camavinga) has vowed to hold down a place in the team

Asensio (pictured with Eduardo Camavinga) has vowed to hold down a place in the team

Asensio’s agent Horacio Gaggioli praised Ancelotti for helping the player adapt to his new role. 

‘Ancelotti told him he trusted in him to play in the middle. He said “I want you to stay. I know that you are not a pure winger and you have to start playing through the middle.” It was a good speech,’ he told Cadena Ser.

‘This was a very short while ago. And it made us re-think what we would do in January because we couldn’t keep going like this (without playing regularly) this season.’

source: dailymail.co.uk