Manchester United were close to signing Portuguese sensation Renato Sanches, but pulled the plug on the transfer at the eleventh hour in order to pursue other players, according to reports from England and Italy.
The Red Devils had long been linked with a move for Sanches, with many reports claiming that they were prepared to pay around €60 million to land the 18-year-old.
However, in the latest development, Bayern Munich have swooped in to sign the youngster on a five-year deal, making him one of the first signings of the Carlo Ancelotti era.
Manchester United chairman Ed Woodward has come in for a lot of criticism from the fans for his failure to sign a potential superstar like Sanches and for allowing Bayern Munich to hijack the deal.
However, according to the Daily Mirror, Manchester United had already lost interest in the Portuguese midfielder three months ago. The English newspaper claims that the Red Devils pulled the plug on the Sanches deal so that they could pursue other alternatives.
Reputed Sky Sports Italy journalist Gianluca Di Marzio also gave his insight to inquisitive football fans on social media, claiming that Manchester United were close to signing Sanches before Bayern Munich swooped in.
@sarahjayneeee_ @ManUtd happened they were close but they didnt sign.
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) May 10, 2016
In fact, Di Marzio also went on to state that Manchester United were very much in the running to sign Sanches just a couple of days back, but Bayern Munich acted quickly to close the deal.
@Devildart180 till The signatures everything could always happen. In Two days, Bayern entered The deal and closed quickly
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) May 10, 2016
Sanches agent blocking United deals?
Renato Sanches is represented by famous Portuguese superagent Jorge Mendes. Mendes also represents former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who has been tipped to replace current Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal. However, Mendes is said to be frustrated with Manchester United’s reluctance to fire the under-performing Van Gaal.
Valencia midfielder Andre Gomes, who is also said to be a Manchester United target, is also represented by Mendes, which means that there is a high possibility that the Portuguese agent might try to influence the player to go elsewhere. Di Marzio believes that Mendes could be trying to exert his power over Manchester United.
@Devildart180 could be. He has Andre Gomes too…
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) May 10, 2016
