Marouane Fellaini was offered to Chinese heavyweights Tianjin Quanjian, their manager Fabio Cannavaro has claimed.
The Manchester United midfielder recently signed a new one-year extension, which now runs until 2018, but has started just three Premier League games since October.
Fellaini was jeered by United supporters in December after a mistake away at Everton, before Jose Mourinho backed the 29-year-old to the hilt.
Yet Cannavaro - the former central defender who took over last June - revealed he turned down the opportunity to land the Belgium international.