Manchester United are seemingly linked with every player under the sun during the transfer window, but through history the club has come inches away from signing some of the top stars in world football only to miss out on them.
Some massive deals have either collapsed at the last second or the club have opted not to pursue certain names. In 2008, Aaron Ramsey came so close to joining the club as a youngster that United published the story on their website after agreeing a fee with Cardiff, before he decided to join Arsenal.