Top 4 players that Manchester United were linked with but could not recruit

Manchester United is one club that has been linked to a lot of star players every transfer window over the past few years. The club has been pretty active in the transfer market as well, completing expensive signings of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Harry Maguire and Fred to name a few.

Post the Sir Alex Ferguson era, the club needed a revamp and they’ve shopped around in the transfer market in an effort to make their squad more competitive domestically and in Europe. However, the indecisiveness of the management and rejections from the board have resulted in them losing out on big names more than once.

Here, in this article, we take a look at four big names who were heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford without a transfer ever materialising.

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#4 Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann

There were steady rumours surrounding Antoine Griezmann leaving Atlético Madrid post the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The French forward had been instrumental for both club and country over the past few years and had developed into a player with immense work-rate under the tutelage of Diego Simeone.

Even as he ended up signing a new contract with Atlético last summer with a higher release clause, the rumours surrounding him never died. In the closing stages of last season, he publicly announced through the official social media handles that he’ll be leaving the club this summer.

Although it was later found out that Barcelona apparently had a pre-agreement with the player, United should have tried to convince the player to make a move to Old Trafford where he would be the player leading the attack. Currently, Griezmann is kind of unsettled in Barcelona and this miss by The Red Devils might turn out to be a costly one for them as he could have single-handedly lead the forward line and be a difference-maker in crucial games.

#3 Matthijs de Ligt

Matthijs de Ligt joined forces with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus

Matthijs de Ligt is undoubtedly the most decorated young centre back in the world right now. His fame shot up by leaps and bounds during Ajax's last season Champions League crusade, where he played a crucial role in not only defending but also scoring goals. He replicated his club form for Holland too and was a hot property in the transfer market alongside compatriot Frenkie de Jong.

While de Jong sealed his move to Barcelona in the second half of the season, de Ligt’s future was unclear and the rumour saga surrounding him dragged on all summer. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, PSG, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Manchester United were all linked to the player, with whispers generating every day in the rumour mill about his next club. Eventually he ended up choosing Juventus and United lost out. They could have really benefitted with a player of de Ligt's potential and leadership skills in their backline.

#2 Thiago Alcantara

Thiago Alcântara in Spanish colours

The Spanish midfield wizard came through the ranks of La Masia and made it to the Barcelona first team. However, he could not cement a spot in the starting line-up due to the presence of evergreen Xavi and Iniesta in the squad. Eventually, when Pep Guardiola became the Bayern Munich manager in 2013, he wasted no time in covincing the Bavarian board to trigger the Spaniard’s € 25m release clause to snap up the player. Thiago Alcântara revealed that there had been talks with Manchester United over a move that summer.

There was never any firm proposal. David de Gea wanted me to join. He wrote a message on my match ball after we'd beaten Italy in the final (U-21 World Cup).

But he also stressed that the Pep Guardiola factor was very enticing and since he knew him since his youth days, it was an added factor in him making a move to Bayern Munich from Barcelona.

#1 Toni Kroos

Toni Kroos was quickly snapped up by Real Madrid

The World Cup 2014 winner with Germany had only 1 year left in his contract when the tournament in Brazil finished. There were disagreements over his salary demands with the Bayern board and they decided to put him on the market. Real Madrid acted quickly and got a gem of a player for a paltry € 25m. The other club heavily interested in his signature was Manchester United. The German international has admitted that he had almost joined The Red Devils.

I knew before that Manchester wanted me. And Moyes underlined that absolutely. It was a really nice afternoon with very nice people. We talked a lot about United's footballing plan which convinced me. In the end, we agreed to do it. We agreed verbally.

Toni Kroos is a midfield metronome who simply loves to hold on to the ball and dictate the tempo of the game. His diagonal long balls are a treat to watch and he’s got immaculate passing vision and accuracy. Very resistant to high press, he can hold on to the ball when needed and his positioning on the field is praiseworthy. The German international has been a midfield maestro for Real Madrid has gone on to lift 4 Champions League titles with Los Blancos and is surely United's biggest miss of the lot.