Benfica reveal interest in Arsenal star

By European Football
September 5 2005

Benfica have revealed that they came close to making a deadline swoop for Arsenal's Robert Pires. It looked to all the world that Simao Sabrosa would be heading to Liverpool. And Benfica saw Pires as the ideal candidate to fill the void, but the move for Sabrosa collapsed as Liverpool refused to meet Benfica’s €20 million valuation of the player.

Whether Arsene Wenger would have allowed Pires to leave is another matter though, although Pires has so far refused to sign a one year contract extension, and could thus leave for free at the end of the season, Wenger still sees the Frenchman as an important part of his plans, for this season.

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