Manchester United are continuing to make moves in the summer transfer window ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign
Manchester United notably let a future World Cup winner and one of England’s most lethal strikers escape their grasp. The club have overseen some remarkable transfers down the years, attracting many successful players to Old Trafford.
However, United have watched some promising talents choose other Premier League clubs and further afield. Michael Carrick has secured deals for Andrey Santos, Karl Darlow and Youri Tielemans this summer.
Talks with Atalanta’s Ederson hit a roadblock after a medical flagged up knee issues. Carrick is determined to prevent any more transfer setbacks as he assembles a squad capable of competing for trophies.
Here, Mirror Football looks at some of the botched transfers at United, including a Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion.
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Ronaldinho
United came within touching distance of a £9million swoop for Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003. The Brazil star had shone in France, recording 44 goal contributions across 77 outings.
The midfielder was viewed as David Beckham’s successor, who appeared destined for a move to Spain. Barcelona had opened discussions with the England skipper over a £30m transfer and Real Madrid were also circling.
Madrid ultimately secured Beckham for around £25m, yet Barca managed to swoop in and snatch Ronaldinho from under United’s noses. United were “99.9% certain” the World Cup winner would sign but the Spanish giants pipped them to his signature for £25.5m.
The Brazilian would go on to claim the Ballon d’Or in recognition of his outstanding performances in Spain.
John Obi Mikel
John Obi Mikel snubbed United in favour of Chelsea, despite holding talks with Sir Alex Ferguson and even penning a pre-contract. Speaking on TNT Sports’ What I Wore, the Champions League winner said: “My first trial was with Manchester United. After the Under-17 tournament, I went there for trials. And then United thought, ‘Spend two, three months with us, and then go back home, and come back. And when you become 18, you can sign a professional contract.’
“So I went back home and then Chelsea heard about the whole thing, that I was back home. And they sent an agent to Nigeria to come and get me to go to trials at Chelsea. I went to trials at Chelsea and they liked me and wanted me to sign. So they thought, ‘Okay, we’re not going to make the same mistake as United by sending you back home. We’re going to send you to Norway’. United went to find out where I was, and then they sent an agent to come to Oslo.
“That’s when the contract came from United, Fergie and his agents. That’s when I signed the contract. But of course, Chelsea had sent me to Norway and they said, ‘Why would you do that? We’ve been looking after you for about a year now.’ So when they saw that [I’d signed for United] they refused to let it go and said they’d fight. FIFA couldn’t sort it out and get either team to back off, the English FA got involved and then I had a one-to-one meeting with Fergie.
“He said he wanted a meeting with me, alone without anybody for 30 minutes, and that he would be able to convince me to come to Manchester United. So I had the meeting, but he couldn’t convince me and that’s how it was settled.”
Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos verbally agreed to join United from Bayern Munich in 2013 as David Moyes stepped into Fergie’s shoes at Old Trafford. The Germany international was considered a top target but remained in his home country for a further season before making the switch to Real Madrid.
Moyes told talkSPORT in 2018: “Toni Kroos had agreed to come to Manchester United with me. I met him and his wife and we agreed it all when he was at Bayern Munich.”
Kroos went on to claim the World Cup with Germany in 2014 and won the Champions League five times at Madrid.
Paulo Dybala
In 2019, United attempted to orchestrate a swap deal with Juventus featuring Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believed the Belgium international wasn’t needed and reports from Italy suggested an agreement had been reached between the sides.
Dybala eventually decided to stay with Juve and won 11 major honours in Italy. He was also included in the Argentina side that lifted the World Cup in 2022 and currently plays for Roma.
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer had his choice of Newcastle and Manchester in 1996 following his Premier League triumph with Blackburn Rovers. The division’s all-time leading marksman sat down with Sir Alex and his childhood hero, Kevin Keegan, who proved pivotal in the forward’s eventual decision.
He revealed on The Rest is Football podcast in 2023: “I had the choice between Newcastle and Man United. I went to meet Kevin and Sir Alex on the same day, I met Kevin in the morning, Sir Alex in the afternoon. And the first words in the afternoon, Sir Alex came in and said to me, ‘Am I meeting you first or am I meeting you second?’
“And I said, ‘I’ve just met Kevin this morning,’ and he said, ‘That’s me f*****, I’ve got no chance.’ I asked why and he said, ‘Always first impressions last.’ Anyway, a day went over, I went home and I said, ‘I’m signing for Man United.’
“Fergie was incredible, we went to Manchester and we went house hunting. Then two days later, I got a call off Kevin to say, ‘I would like an hour with you before you go and that’s it.’ I had talks with him and I rung my Mrs up and said, ‘I’m signing for Newcastle, there’s a taxi coming in half an hour, you need to pack a bag for me and we’re flying to the far east tonight.’”
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.


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