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Ajax CEO Edwin van der Sar has confirmed that Arsenal failed to sign Lisandro Martinez before his move to Manchester United this summer.
The Gunners were interested in the Argentine at the beginning of the transfer window and they were willing to offer around £35 million.
However, Ajax deemed the offer as insufficient and they eventually secured a package worth £57m from the Red Devils for his signature.
Speaking to The Athletic, Van der Sar has now confirmed that the Gunners made an offer, but the club decided to wait for a better proposal.
He said: "Arsenal came earlier for Lisandro, but it was an amount where we said: 'Thank you very much for the offer, but we'd rather keep the player than start negotiating'."
"With United, it was a little bit different. Over the years we have had a few conversations: Daley Blind, Donny van de Beek. My job is making sure I make the best decisions for Ajax."
Martinez has been a fantastic signing for the Red Devils this term. The Argentine has excelled with his performances in central defence.
Meanwhile, the Gunners have not been made to regret. After the setback, they went on to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City.
Zinchenko has been hugely impressive from the left-back role. The Gunners wanted to play Martinez from the same position this season.
Written by Sri Aswin
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