William Saliba had attracted interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich (Shutterstock)

Manchester United made an approach for William Saliba before he signed his new contract with Arsenal, according to reports in France.

Saliba had just a year remaining on his contract with Arsenal and the Premier League runners-up were growing concerned that he would not commit to a new deal.

However, the Gunners finally reached a breakthrough in negotiations and Saliba has now agreed to extend his deal until 2027.

According to RMC Sport, Manchester United were in the running for Saliba and had enquired about the defender’s situation before he reached a new agreement with Arsenal.

The report also claims that Bayern Munich were interested in a move for Saliba if his contract negotiations with Arsenal failed.

William Saliba’s new deal with Arsenal keeps him tied to the club until 2027 (Getty)

Saliba was signed in a £27 million deal from Saint-Etienne in 2019 but did not make a first-team appearance before his loans spells at Nice and Marseille.

After impressing in pre-season last summer, Saliba was handed his first-team chance by Mikel Arteta and the 22-year-old was one of Arsenal’s standout performers this season.

However, his campaign was cut short in March due to a back injury and the French defender was unavailable for Arsenal’s Premier League title run-in with Manchester City.

Arsenal remain hopeful that Saliba will be back to full fitness for the start of their pre-season preparations.

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An ambitious move by United.