chiefs might be reeling after learning that Chelsea star Cole Palmer was nearly their player six years ago. Unsure over signing a scholarship at Manchester City aged 16, Palmer apparently weighed up making the move across Manchester to join the club he supported as a boy. However, City eventually made him a suitable offer and he remained at the Etihad Stadium until he left for Chelsea in 2023.

"I know Cole Palmer's family quite well, I know his dad and his uncle, and we were close to getting Cole Palmer when he was about 16, believe it or not," Colin Little explained on The Athletic's podcast.

"He was umming and ahhing and I knew he was a big United fan. He was at that age where you're allowed to leave [before a scholarship], 16. And they were umming and ahhing, Manchester City, about it. I think in the end Manchester City made him a good enough offer. But really, he was always a Manchester United fan and it was close anyway, I remember speaking."

Express Sport looks at what a Man Utd team might look like had they succeeded in signing Palmer, Erling Haaland, and six other deals that never happened, using Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation.

Goalkeeper: David Raya

When Erik ten Hag wanted to replace David de Gea in the summer of 2023, he insisted on signing Andre Onana, whose Old Trafford career has been punctuated by a series of errors. At the time, initial enquiries were made about David Raya, the Arsenal shot-stopper who was still at Brentford.

Raya's agent Juame Munell told AFTV later that year: "Bayern Munich didn't understand our refusal because they thought that Raya would have been the backup keeper at Arsenal but as you can see it's not like this. Also Manchester United and Chelsea made an enquiry but nothing concrete."

How United might now wish they had made a more serious effort to buy Raya, who has been excellent for Arsenal.

Defenders: Jean-Clair Todibo, Virgil van Dijk, Leny Yoro

United were prevented from signing Jean-Clair Todibo last summer due to minority owners INEOS also owning his then-club Nice. UEFA rules meant that the deal could not take place as both clubs were set to play in the same European competition in 2024-25. Todibo subsequently joined West Ham.

Virgil van Dijk was also a target in the summer of 2017 but, as per a story by his former Southampton team-mate Charlie Austin, the Red Devils signed Victor Lindelof instead. Austin told talkSPORT in 2021: "At the back end of his Southampton career, we were on the bench together at Chelsea. I sat there and said: 'Come on Virgil, what's going on, surely Man United must've been in for you?

"He said, 'In the summer it was like between me or Lindelof and they signed Lindelof'. I was like, 'You are joking!'"

Midfielders: Geovany Quenda, Joao Neves, Kobbie Mainoo, Alphonso Davies

United could not have signed Sporting Lisbon teenager Geovany Quenda until the summer anyway, but the Old Trafford outfit are widely reported to be set to lose out to Chelsea. The 17-year-old is said to have turned down a reunion with Amorim.

Former boss Ten Hag was also said to have been tracking highly-rated midfielder Joao Neves before the Portuguese star chose to move from Benfica to Paris Saint-Germain last summer. United signed Manuel Ugarte instead.

Bayern Munich wing-back Davies would have been an excellent fit in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system, but despite being linked with the then-16-year-old when he was training with different clubs around Europe, United failed to complete a deal for the Canadian. They were a rumoured destination again in January, with Davies' Bayern contract due to expire, but the 24-year-old penned an extension.

Forwards: Cole Palmer, Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes

If Palmer had joined United, he might still have lined up alongside Erling Haaland - his former City team-mate. United icon Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recommended his countryman to United when he was a teenager, but the Red Devils opted against what would have been a bargain move.