A transfer isn’t finalized until the player officially wears his new kit, and even then, the deal can be sabotaged. Both Manchester United and Chelsea have poached players from their bitter rivals, but both teams have also been on the receiving end of such sly maneuvers....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The following are some well-known cases of players who had agreed to sign with one team but ultimately chose to play for another
1. Marc Cucurella
To beat their opponents to the punch, Chelsea agreed to pay a total of £62 million for the defender, including add-ons and sent Blues youngster Levi Colwill on loan to Brighton as part of the deal. Cucurella was nearly signed by Manchester City from Brighton after catching the eye of manager Pep Guardiola.
The City manager wanted to bring him over, and the club approved the transfer by selling Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal. Since Brighton was asking for £50 million and the Premier League winners were only willing to pay £30 million, Chelsea was able to rush in and steal him away.
2. Gleison Bremer – Inter Milan’s move hijacked by Juventus.
young 25-year-old defensive anchor During the 2021-22 season, Gleison Bremer was the best defender in Serie A. The former Torino central defender was rumored to have reached an individual agreement with Inter Milan as early as January 2022. Due to financial difficulties, however, Inter Milan had to sell a few players before they could complete a deal for Bremer. They waited for so long, however, Juventus was able to steal the agreement away from them.
3. Tyrell Malacia
Malacia was the first player signed by former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag during his time at Manchester United. Malacia was nearing a transfer to Lyon of Ligue 1, with the two teams having agreed on a deal, but Manchester United never lost interest. Even though Lyon lost out on Ajax’s Nicolas Tagliafico, the Red Devils jumped in, promptly agreed to a deal, and got the signing over the line.
4. Raphinha – Chelsea’s move hijacked by Barcelona.
Fabrizio Romano claimed on June 29 that Chelsea had signed Raphinha from Leeds. The Brazilian winger cost around €70 million. At the time, Barcelona was particularly interested in Raphinha. Leeds United’s asking price pushed them out of the deal.
Fabrizio Romano stated two weeks later that Barcelona had agreed to buy Raphinha for €58 million plus €9 million in add-ons. Raphinha reportedly solely wanted Barcelona, so he stalled despite Chelsea’s efforts.
5. Lisandro Martinez – Ajax to Manchester United (£51.63 million)
In the summer, Argentine defender Martinez moved with Erik ten Hag from Amsterdam to Manchester, joining the likes of Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire as possibilities for the Dutchman in central defense. Maguire and Martinez together cost more than £130 million.
