Manchester United explored the possibility of a standalone deal for Mario Mandzukic but passed on signing the Juventus forward.
Mandzukic, 33, was mentioned during discussions about a potential swap move involving Romelu Lukaku and the club then held additional talks about the possibility of just signing Mandzukic.
However, the MEN understands United were put off by Juventus' valuation and club sources say the Croat's wage demands were too high.
United have prioritised deals for players genuinely enthralled by the prospect of playing for the club rather than those seeking a wage hike. The club also had reservations about Mandzukic's goalscoring record and he was viewed strictly as a fall-back option to Paulo Dybala during a mooted exchange deal.
The decision not to pursue Mandzukic means United will almost certainly not sign a replacement for the outgoing Romelu Lukaku, their top scorer over the last two seasons.
Lukaku, 26, is on the verge of completing a £73.7million move to Inter Milan but United are encouraged by the emergence of their young players to offset the loss of the Belgian.
Striker Mason Greenwood, 17, scored twice during United's pre-season tour and playmaker Angel Gomes, 18, netted the winner against Tottenham in Shanghai last month. Winger Tahith Chong, 19, excelled in pre-season as an impact substitute.
Chong and Gomes lined up in the EFL Trophy win at Rotherham on Tuesday night but Greenwood was not risked ahead of the Premier League opener against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has nine forwards to choose from, including the teenage trio. The club bought Daniel James from Swansea for £15m in June and Solskjaer settled on an attacking trident of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard in the opening months of his caretaker reign.
Juan Mata signed a new two-year contract in June and Alexis Sanchez is still at the club.
