Manchester United spent much of the summer, negotiating with Borussia Dortmund.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer placed Jadon Sancho at the top of his transfer wishlist back in January, with hopes they could bring the England international back to the Premier League.
Reports suggested that Sancho was up for the move, but the two clubs failed to agree a fee before Monday night’s deadline.
Dortmund refused to budge on their £108million valuation, while Old Trafford bosses felt that was too steep in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is understood that United launched a last-gasp bid to try and land the 20-year-old, but that was rejected out of hand.
However, according to ESPN, that wasn't the only Dortmund star that Solskjaer wanted to sign in the final hours of the window.
They claim that United made a deadline day move for full-back Nico Schulz, with sources claiming that the Red Devils offered a €1m loan fee and to pay the player’s salary for the season.
The approach was said to have left officials at the German club baffled and Dortmund bosses were left questioning the credentials of United’s scouting and recruitment team as they laughed off the approach.
Schulz has struggled to break into Dortmund’s side since signing in 2019, but despite that, they wanted to keep him as a squad player.
United meanwhile signed Alex Telles - who also plays in the left-back position - which makes the late approach for Schulz even more baffling, because it either undermines the signing of the Brazilian or shows a complete lack of joined up thinking.
It isn’t the first time this summer that United’s transfer plan has been criticised. Former players, pundits and fans alike have all take aim at the disjointed strategy that saw them fail to address their defensive issues.
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Solskjaer’s side have conceded 11 times in their opening three Premier League games, but failed to bring in a central-defender to play alongside Harry Maguire.
Paul Merson slammed their decision to not sign a centre-back during the window, claiming they have opened the door for their top-four rivals to earn a Champions League place.
“It’s hard to play for a big club when you haven’t got any pace and their centre backs have none,” he said.
“I thought they were a shoe-in for the top four before the season started but until they get some legs in that back four I don’t see where they are going.
“They have opened the door for teams like Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton to finish in the top four this season.
“I don’t think they are a top four club at the moment. They can’t defend for toffee, and they let Chris Smalling go to Roma. He would probably get in the team right now.”
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