Premiership: Vieira claims United tapped him up

Arsenal's Patrick Vieira has claimed that Manchester United approached him illegally to offer him a place on the team.

In an interview in a British tabloid, Vieira said he seriously considered quitting Arsenal and moving to Old Trafford to join the Premiership champions.

The admission that United approached the Frenchman will re-ignite the bitter row between them and Arsenal, who had always suspected that Vieira was 'tapped up'.

United have insisted that the only contact they made was between chief executive Peter Kenyon and Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.

However, Vieira said that his agent held talks with United, as well as with Real Madrid and Juventus.

The French playmaker had threatened to quit Highbury over the summer, claiming Arsenal was not committed to winning trophies.

However, he agreed to stay with the London club after talks with manager Arsene Wenger about his vision for the future.