Manchester United were allegedly offered the chance to sign Jack Grealish before the England international joined Manchester City in a record-breaking deal.
The 25-year-old signed a six-year contract with the Premier League champions on Thursday night after Aston Villa accepted an offer of £100m for their captain.
According to The Athletic, Villa had actually approached Man United before the deal was completed to determine whether the 20-time English champions were interested in a move.
The report claims that Real Madrid also held conversations with Dean Smith's side over the playmaker, but Grealish's camp signalled that he was only interested in making the move to the Etihad Stadium.
Villa were allegedly reluctant to sell the Englishman to Pep Guardiola's side, as they are 'concerned their (City's) success and financial clout are damaging the competition'.
Grealish, who helped England reach the final of this summer's European Championship, scored 32 goals and registered 43 assists in 213 appearances during his time in the Villa first team.
Matt Law
