Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta previously thought he had signed a key player only to then watch him soon appear in a Manchester United shirt.
Arsenal and United have shared a fair few targets in recent years, Erik ten Hag’s side were even thought to be considering a late swoop for Declan Rice before he moved to north London.
Of course, Mikel Arteta was also said to have been interested in both Andre Onana and Lisandro Martinez during his time at Arsenal.
The duo both excelled at Ajax in the past, and whilst they’ve each had indifferent seasons for opposing reasons, there’s evidence to believe that both can be key players for United moving forward.
And in truth, both clubs are expected to be busy in the coming summer window, when they may again overlap in their pursuit of a striker.
Ivan Toney for example has been linked to each club, even if it appears that top-level interest is now cooling for his signature.
But with all that being said, ESPN have now been providing an intriguing insight into Mason Mount’s departure from Chelsea, detailing how both Liverpool and Arsenal were in strong pursuit.
Mikel Arteta thought he had signed Mason Mount for Arsenal before he joined Man United
According to the report, Jurgen Klopp had been in regular contract with Mount as of January 2023, shortly after Chelsea had begun inviting offers.
But perhaps even more remarkably, talks with Arsenal had got so advanced that Arteta had started to privately tell his coaches that a transfer to the club was “a done deal.”
Of course, Mount instead ended up joining United in a £60m move in July of that year, which must have left both Arsenal and Arteta agasp.
If the report is to be believed, it would certainly be intriguing to hear Arteta speak candidly about the saga – and why Arsenal eventually didn’t sign the player.
And whilst Mount’s time at Manchester United hasn’t been successful as of yet, it would seem incredibly harsh to judge him right now.
Injuries have ravaged the United player’s season thus far.
However, should he get fit and find his form and regularly feature for Ten Hag, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Mount quickly found his way back into the England contention for the Euros.
All that being said, Frank Lampard did recently share his big concern when he heard Mount was signing for United last summer.
The post Report: Mikel Arteta was telling staff Arsenal had signed £60m player before he joined Man United instead appeared first on TBR Football.