Manchester United transfers: The players Ed Woodward has failed to sign, from Gareth Bale to Cristiano Ronaldo

United have seen both Mats Hummels and Renato Sanches join Bayern Munich

Jack de Menezes

Tuesday 10 May 2016 12:53 BST

Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

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1/11Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

United were wary of entering the race to sign Ramos last summer, knowing he could well be using their interest to land himself a bigger contract. Nevertheless, United moved for the Real captain, and sure enough his “fractured” relationship with Real president Florentino Perez was suddenly patched up and he agreed a five-year contract extension.

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)

Hummels was linked with United in the summer of 2015 after putting his Dortmund future in doubt, alerting United that he could be available as a much-needed defensive target. The Germany international elected to stay in Dortmund though, and has now ended any chance of joining United in the near future by returning to Bayern Munich.

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid)

United were heavily linked with a loan move for Coentrao in United’s first transfer window under David Moyes and Ed Woodward. Things didn’t go according to plan though, and the move collapsed to leave the pair – Woodward in particular – facing criticism over his handling of the deal and his experience in the football world.

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Ander Herrera (Athletic Bilbao)

Another player who failed to complete a move during Moyes’s reign despite appearing nailed on to do so. ‘United officials’ arrived in Spain to tie up the deal for Herrera, only to be exposed as imposters as United had not sent anyone from the club. The move collapsed, and United would later sign Herrera the following year for an inflated fee.

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona)

A year before Fabregas sealed his return to England with Chelsea, United had attempted to sign the former Arsenal captain. Again, with Moyes at the helm and repeated declarations of interest, United were unable to agree a deal with Barcelona, and the Spaniard remained with the Catalans for another year before heading to Stamford Bridge and leading them to the Premier League title.

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich)

Kroos had fallen out of favour under Pep Guardiola and the club made it clear that he was available for transfer. That alerted United, but despite making an official offer for the Germany international, he instead joined Real Madrid in 2014.

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Thiago Alcantara (Barcelona

At the same time as their pursuit of Fabregas, United attempted to sign Thiago from Barcelona. The scenario was different in that Thiago had made it clear he was leaving the club after failing to see regular first-team action under the late Tito Vilanova, but the result proved the same as he chose to snub United in order to join Bayern

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)

After a difficult second season in Spain, Bale’s future was under a degree of uncertainty. Rumours of player unrest and a desire to return to England were denied by Bale, but that didn’t stop United from launching a move for the Wales international. Real stood firm though and Bale remains a Real superstar, having inspired them through the Champions League semi-finals.

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Ronaldo has always expressed his desire to “one day” return to Old Trafford after making his name there. United would certainly welcome him back with open arms, but despite hinting at moves for the Portuguese a deal has never been found and United fans continue to wait for their favourite son to return home.

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Neymar (Barcelona)

United made no secret about their pursuit of Neymar last summer, although there is some uncertainty over whether United were serious about their interest or if it was one to appease the fans’ clamour for a big signing. Neymar was unsure about his future at Barcelona due to his concerns over the tax rate in Spain, but United failed to persuade Barcelona to sell and he remains at the Nou Camp.

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Players Manchester United have failed to sign under Ed Woodward

Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

United’s move for Neymar came after they were told in no uncertain terms to stop trying to sign Muller because he wasn’t leaving Bayern Munich. The German was reluctant to leave the Bundesliga champions despite Van Gaal’s interest, and instead of Neymar or Muller, United ended up with Anthony Martial instead.

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Mats Hummels and Renato Sanches are to join Bayern Munich in the summer after the Bundesliga champions moved swiftly to bring in two of their top transfer targets, meaning that Manchester United have once again missed out on two players they were interested in signing.

United pursued Hummels last summer only for the Germany defender to confirm that he was staying with Borussia Dortmund for another season, and the club confirmed that he has now decided to return to Bayern where he came through the academy before joining Dortmund in 2009 after a season-long loan.

Sanches meanwhile has cropped up on the United radar this season after breaking into the Benfica line-up in October, with the 18-year-old enjoying a blossoming reputation that has already seen him make his Portugal debut.

It means that United – and in particular executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward – face further scrutiny for failing to land their intended targets in the transfer market, having seen a number of key players move elsewhere of choose not to join United.

Click on the gallery above to see a list of transfer targets that United and Woodward have failed to sign.

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