Manchester City were on the verge of signing a Manchester United hero when Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hijacked the deal.
Four-time Premier League winner Mikael Silvestre agreed a controversial move to Man City in the summer of 2008 as he entered the final year of his contract at Old Trafford.
Silvestre had spent almost a decade at United, making 361 appearances for the Red Devils and helping Sir Alex Ferguson win four Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.
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 then-Manchester City boss Mark Hughes tried to sign Silvestre from local rivals United and the defender was set to cross the city divide after agreeing a deal.
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Silvestre was in fact ‘halfway through’ a medical at the Etihad Stadium when he aborted the move due to an approach from Arsenal legend Wenger.
The Champions League winner revealed Wenger ‘reached out to me through a friend’ and says he immediately decided to snub Man City for Arsenal.
‘I almost signed for Manchester City in 2008, believe it or not,’ Silvestre told Poker Scout. ‘I was halfway through my medical in Manchester and was very close to finalising a move to the club.
‘However, Arsene Wenger reached out to me through a friend to try and get me to sign for Arsenal during the medical. I couldn’t turn that offer down, and I signed for the club the very next day.
‘It was a crazy situation. Nowadays when a club does a medical, they do it all in one day and don’t let the players leave the room to make sure the deal goes through.’
After Wenger worked his magic, Silvestre moved to Arsenal for an undisclosed fee, becoming the first player to make that particular transfer since Brian Kidd in 1974.
A now injury-prone Silvestre did not leave a lasting legacy at Arsenal, however, leaving the club two years after his arrival having played 43 games.
Since that transfer saga in 2008, Arsenal have signed two more players from Manchester United – Danny Welbeck in 2014 and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in 2018.
Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez are two most high-profile Arsenal players to make moves to Manchester United, although young defender Ayden Heaven followed suit at the start of the year.
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