“Many thanks for the offer but we rather keep the player” – Edwin van der Sar reveals how Ajax responded to Arsenal enquiry for Lisandro Martinez before Manchester United move

Ajax CEO Edwin van der Sar has revealed how Ajax responded to Arsenal's interest in Lisandro Martinez before Manchester United swooped in.

The chief executive, who was formerly a Red Devil, noted that Arsenal came in with an offer first, but it was so small, Ajax refused to negotiate with them.

The Red Devils came in with a bigger offer, and the Dutch side met them at the table, eventually selling the Argentine defender for £57 million after hard-pressed negotiations.

Speaking to The Athletic, Van der Sar explained:

“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."

Notably, Arsenal did not return to the negotiation table, instead leaving their rivals to seal the deal. Van der Sar also hailed Martinez's bright future with Manchester United, stating:

“You know in hindsight that managers like the players they work with, the type of football Erik wanted to play, and with Martinez there he has shown his worth now. There were question marks initially, but the way he can read the game, how aggressive he is — what he doesn’t have in centimetres he makes up for in other qualities.”

Arsenal won't be missing Martinez as they currently sit atop the Premier League standings with the best defensive record so far.

Edwin van der Sar also discussed selling Antony to Manchester United

Notably, Lisandro Martinez wasn't the only player Manchester United bought from Ajax, as winger Antony also made an £85 million move to Old Trafford. Speaking about the deals, Van der Sar said:

"They’re good players. Erik knew them, they fit with his playing style. He wanted the players, we didn’t want to lose them so… you put a high price on them. When you want a player, you probably pay a little bit more. For me, it was a fair negotiation with Richard and John Murtough, and that was it."

He also claimed that Manchester United had taken off with a world star in Antony:

“Still young, still potential. We would have liked to keep him here one year longer — there was not a dire need to sell him, we had money in the bank — but the fee got so high. We challenged United to go as far as possible. They have a potential world star.”

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