Bologna director of football Marco Di Vaio has revealed that it was Marko Arnautovic who turned down the chance to join Manchester United despite reports claiming that the Red Devils pulled the plug on the transfer.
The 33-year-old emerged as a surprised transfer target for Erik ten Hag's side and they allegedly had a bid in the region of €9m (£7.6m) rebuffed by the Serie A club.
United were understood to have ended their pursuit of the forward after the club received widespread backlash from supporters for targeting the former West Ham United and Stoke City forward.
However, Bologna chief Di Vaio claims that it was in fact Arnautovic himself who rejected the chance to move to Old Trafford, while he has also revealed that Juventus did not approach the Austrian despite reports suggesting that they had expressed their interest.
"We did great work with Marko. We've always highlighted how much we trust him. Juventus never made a direct request, [Manchester] United did," Di Vaio told Corriere Dello Sport.
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"United didn't retire from the race because of their fans, but only because Arnautovic understood how important he was for Bologna's project. He behaved like a true champion, understanding what he meant to Bologna as a city and a club.
"He's a point of reference on and off the pitch. I was surprised by his involvement. He is helping young players. He has an 'English' approach. He always gives his all."
Arnautovic is currently the top scorer in Serie A with six strikes to his name from seven appearances, but Bologna are struggling at the wrong end of the table and they recently replaced head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic with former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Thiago Motta.
With Bologna sitting just two points above the relegation zone, Arnautovic is keen to help the team improve and has no interest in winning the Golden Boot.
"I don't care about being the best scorer, but surely I am happy to have scored six of Bologna's seven goals," Arnautovic told reporters, via the Daily Mirror, whilst on international duty with Austria.
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"I always think about the team and six points in seven games are not a good result. We have bigger ambitions and we must prove it on the pitch.
"In general, we've wasted too many chances, I am not the coach and I won't start complaining about the team, we win and lose together."
After a move for Arnautovic failed to materialise, Ten Hag eventually recruited one of his top attacking targets in the form of Ajax's Antony, who moved to Old Trafford on deadline day for around £85m.
United are thought to still be in the market for attacking reinforcements, amid uncertainty over the long-term future of Cristiano Ronaldo, with the likes of Benfica's Goncalo Ramos and Napoli's Victor Osimhen believed to be on their radar.
Oliver Thomas
