Manchester United allegedly failed with an attempt to sign Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli during the summer transfer window.
Head coach Erik ten Hag was required to make numerous changes to his squad upon his arrival at Old Trafford, including acquiring a new central midfielder.
The Dutchman eventually gave the green light to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid, a transfer which was regarded as a significant coup at the time.
However, the Brazil international is still waiting to make his first start in the Premier League as Ten Hag continues to show preference to using Scott McTominay alongside Christian Eriksen.
Nevertheless, according to Sportmediaset, United expressed an interest in Locatelli before securing a deal for Casemiro.
© Reuters
At one point during the summer, it was well documented that United were admirers of Adrien Rabiot, Locatelli's teammate at the Italian giants.
That move broke down due to the wage demands of the Frenchman and his agent, but it appears that United had initially been keen on Locatelli.
The Italy international made 42 appearances during his first campaign in Turin, contributing three goals and five assists in all competitions.
Despite being a regular in the starting lineup, Juventus' financial situation and wide array of midfield players meant that a deal for the 24-year-old could have, in theory, been possible.
© Reuters
However, the report claims that Locatelli quickly insisted that he had no desire to depart Juventus during the most recent transfer window.
While Locatelli is technically still on loan from Sassuolo, Juve are obligated to pay €37.5m at the end of 2022-23 to complete a permanent deal.
Although it has not been revealed whether United would have been willing to pay over that figure, it would likely have taken a bigger fee with Locatelli's reputation having been enhanced since moving to one of his nation's top clubs.
On Sunday evening, Locatelli returned to the Juventus starting lineup for the first time in over a month as his team recorded a much-needed 3-0 victory over Bologna.
