The striker, who was the subject of interest from the Gunners, will move to Bayern Munich from Borussia Dortmund in the summer despite the best efforts of his Poland team-mate

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny admits he tried to convince Robert Lewandowski to join the club this summer.

The Borussia Dortmund striker’s move to Bayern Munich at the end of the season on a free transfer was confirmed earlier in January.

Arsene Wenger confirmed the Gunners had looked into the possibility of signing Lewandowski, and Szczesny has admitted he was unsuccessful in trying to persuade his Poland international team-mate to make the move to the Emirates Stadium.

“Lewandowski has been my friend for a very long time,” he told Arsenal Player after the victory over Fulham.

When asked if he was unable to convince Lewandowski to join, he added: “I tried my best [to get him to join Arsenal].”

Szczesny was quick to praise Santi Cazorla after the midfield playmaker scored both goals in the 2-0 win against Fulham on Saturday.

“I think Santi’s always been a very important player for us and when he plays like he did [against Fulham] he’s one of the best in the Premier League,” Szczesny said.

“We’re very happy to have him and delighted for him because he’s not scored a lot of goals and he was getting a bit frustrated so this will be a very enjoyable game for him.”