Manchester United were reportedly never close to completing a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho this summer.
The 20-year-old was identified as United's number one transfer target before the window even opened after scoring 20 goals and registering 20 assists for Dortmund last season.
However, The Athletic reports that the Red Devils' pursuit was ultimately hopeless as they refused to meet Dortmund's £108m asking price before the German club's deadline.
Dortmund publicly declared that Sancho would not be allowed to leave the club after August 10, but the report claims that United did not believe that the Bundesliga outfit would stick to that deadline nor stand firm on their price tag for the winger.
After Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said on August 10 that the decision to keep Sancho was now "final", he reportedly received a panicked phone call from a United director who did not expect them to stick to their guns.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly urged Ed Woodward to keep trying for Sancho until the final stages of the transfer window, only beginning to focus on other targets aside from Donny van de Beek in the final 48 hours.
United ultimately brought in Alex Telles, Edinson Cavani and Facundo Pellistri on deadline day, although none of those players are thought to have been among their top targets at the beginning of the window.
The 20-time champions are expected to revive their interest in Sancho next summer, although Premier League rivals Liverpool have also been credited with an interest in 2021.
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Barney Corkhill
