Manchester City thought they had struck a deal but Arsenal hijacked (Picture: Getty)Manchester City were on the verge of signing a Manchester United hero when Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hijacked the deal. The ex-France international played at least 45 games in six successive seasons at Manchester United but his game-time was affected by injury problems and a dip in form. The Champions League winner revealed Wenger ‘reached out to me through a friend’ and says he immediately decided to snub Man City for Arsenal. ‘However, Arsene Wenger reached out to me through a friend to try and get me to sign for Arsenal during the medical. Since that transfer saga in 2008, Arsenal have signed two more players from Manchester United – Danny Welbeck in 2014 and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in 2018.

Source: Metro December 26, 2025 13:59 UTC