Arsene Wenger: 'I'd have preferred to sell Robin van Persie abroad'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he would have "preferred" to have sold striker Robin van Persie to a club abroad as opposed to Premier League rivals Manchester United.

The Netherlands international, who revealed that he would not sign a new contract with the Gunners earlier in the summer, is closing in on a switch to Old Trafford after both clubs agreed a fee thought to be in the region of £24m.

"Honestly, I'd have preferred to sell him abroad, to PSG, for example, over Manchester United," Wenger told TF1.

"They have the advantage of having played against him and knowing his great class. He's truly an exceptional player in every sense of the word."

Van Persie spent eight years with the North London outfit.