Speaking to The Athletic, Ajax sporting director Edwin van der Sar said: "Arsenal came earlier [in the summer] for Lisandro Martinez.
"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'.
"When you want a player, you probably pay a little bit more. For me, it was a fair negotiation with Richard Arnold and John Murtough [Manchester United chiefs]."
Martinez ended up joining Man United in July for a fee of £47 million plus £8.5 million in add-ons while Arsenal did not sign another centre-back.
The Argentine defender has quickly established himself as a key at Old Trafford although there remain concerns about his height (5ft 9in or 175cm).
Source: The Athletic
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