Manchester United attempted to sign long-term transfer target Jadon Sancho back in 2017, before the Englishman eventually decided to move to Borussia Dortmund.
The 20-year-old has been in remarkable form this season, racking up 36 goal involvements in just 35 games - some of the most impressive figures in Europe.
According to the Manchester Evening News, United were seriously interested in bringing Sancho to Old Trafford three years ago. He was told in the New Year that a move to Manchester City's bitter rivals was 'doable', but in the end he opted for Dortmund, largely due to assurances of regular first-team football.
The report claims the Cityzens were so relieved about narrowly avoiding losing one of their top youngsters to United that they took steps to prevent this from happening in the future.
In June 2019, a clause was included in Brahim Diaz's move to Real Madrid stating that if he moved to the red half of Manchester the club's sell-on fee would increase to a mammoth 40%.
In terms of United's current pursuit of Sancho, things look far more promising. Earlier this week it was reported that they were 'confident' they had agreed a deal with the forward, after engaging in a series of secret meetings with his representatives.
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Sancho himself is said to be keen on the move and is excited to be part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's long-term project. His close friendship with Marcus Rashford - who has been cheekily encouraging the deal along on social media - is also a factor in his decision.
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Source : 90min