Edwin van der Sar says he point blank refused to sell Lisandro Martinez to Arsenal

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Manchester United won the battle to sign Lisandro Martinez in the summer and the defender has been a major hit at Old Trafford.

Negotiations for Martinez were not straightforward, with Ajax preferring to retain the defender, but they eventually caved in.

Manchester United were not the only side pursuing Martinez, at one stage it had appeared Arsenal were making the most proactive moves for the centre-back.

It had seemed logical that Martinez would prefer to join Erik ten Hag at Manchester United rather than Arsenal, and Ajax CEO Edwin van der Sar has said he dealt swiftly with the Gunners’ approach.

Van der Sar refused to sell Lisandro Martinez to Arsenal

Speaking to The Times, Edwin van der Sar said he did not really consider Arsenal’s attempts to sign the defender.

He said: “It was our opinion they [Martinez and Antony] should stay for another year. We gave a firm ‘no’ to Arsenal when they came first for Lisandro; we fought hard to keep him.”

Ajax eventually relented and sold Martinez to Manchester United, the defender’s first choice destination.

Arsenal’s approach for Martinez was nowhere near the fee Ajax sold him for. Goal.com reported they saw bids of £29 million and £35 million turned down by the Dutch club.

Ajax received a far higher figure from Manchester United, by which time the Gunners had decided to walk away.

BBC Sport report that with add-ons, United’s eventual move for Martinez could total a staggering £57 million, with Sky Sports reporting the base fee to be £48 million.

This was substantially more than Arsenal’s offers, and so it was quite easy to see why Van der Sar snubbed the North London side’s approaches.

They knew what an asset they had with United, and that Erik ten Hag recognised exactly how good he was, and that the Red Devils would be prepared to pay handsomely.

United were regarded to have paid too much at the time, but it’s hard to argue with Martinez’s performances. He looks worth every penny.

Martinez is strong defensively, good on the ball, and his attitude has helped to change the culture of United’s defence, bringing the change Erik ten Hag wanted to a back four which lacked aggression.