Arsenal have reportedly turned down the opportunity to bring in a Premier League star who Arsene Wenger was interested in signing seven years ago.

The legendary Arsenal manager is no stranger to claiming he came close to signing all of the greats in modern football, from Kylian Mbappe to Cristiano Ronaldo to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a cliche that has only added to Wenger’s mythology.

Whilst Mikel Arteta has done quite the job in the transfer market with some of his dealings, the Arsenal boss is yet to sign a truly internationally recognized superstar, with Wenger landing the likes of Thierry Henry, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

Yet Arteta has seemingly turned down the chance to sign someone Wenger was interested in back in 2017.

Arsenal reject chance to sign Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Gunners have shot down the opportunity to sign Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, who has been offered to Arsenal along with most top clubs in the Premier League.

A player Wenger reportedly ‘tried to get’ during Sancho’s days in the Manchester City academy, the England international has had an unusual career since returning to England with United, where the forward’s career has tailspinned.

A loan move back to Borussia Dortmund that featured an appearance in the UEFA Champions League did bring some life back into Sancho’s career, though it is clear that if the London-born forward wants to revive his footballing life, a permanent move from United is needed.

And for Arsenal, the Gunners could have been the dream destination for Sancho given Arteta’s approach to his players as well as the north London side’s need for a versatile wide-attacker.

Arteta and Arsenal could have been perfect to revive Sancho

Sancho’s £72m move to United has been as good an example as any as to why moving to Old Trafford is a poisoned chalice in this era of football, with the winger’s career regressing like so many others in recent years.

Meanwhile, the opposite can be said for Arsenal, who have seen so many players take their careers to new heights under Arteta as the north London side now look set to fully challenge for the Premier League title next season.

And for Sancho, a move to Arsenal playing under a coach like Arteta could be exactly what the attacker needs to revive his career, with the Gunners a club who should have taken the risk on the United outcast this summer.

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