The £690million Xl that Man Utd could have signed for just £114million: Caicedo, Haaland…

Manchester United are always looking to sign up-and-coming talent before they become household names, but a few players have slipped through their fingers in recent years.

United have either been rejected by the player, or they’ve spurned an opportunity to agree a deal and later come to regret it.

We’ve compiled a brilliant XI of players that United could have signed for relatively cheap fees, arranged in a 4-3-1-2 formation.

GK: Zion Suzuki

United were in the market for a back-up goalkeeper in the summer of 2023 and agreed a deal with Urawa Red Diamonds to sign Suzuki for just £5million.

But the Japan international rejected the move to Old Trafford after they were unable to guarantee him regular first-team football.

“It’s true that there was an offer from Manchester United,” Suzuki said. “As a football player and as a person, if I hadn’t thought about anything, of course, I would like to go to Manchester United, but among them, I really want to spend time thinking about what kind of future awaits me. After much thought, I made this decision.

“Manchester United have acquired [Andre] Onana. It’s important for me to participate in matches, and I think it is also important to play on the world stage.”

He had a loan spell at Sint-Truiden before completing a permanent move to Parma, where he established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A.

The 23-year-old has been linked with Juventus but is now on the verge of joining Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth up to £28.2million.

RB: Joao Cancelo

Despite only having a brief stint in the Valencia dugout in the 2015-16 season, Gary Neville and Phil Neville were both left impressed by Cancelo’s peformances for the club.

The United academy graduates recommened the full-back to former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, only for him to ignore their suggestion.

Valencia would have reportedly accepted a £25.5million bid at the time, but his market value continued to increase and Juventus bought him for £35.5million in 2018.

The Portugal international joined Manchester City a year later in a total package worth £60million, making him the most expensive right-back in Premier League history.

CB: Dayot Upamecano

Upamecano has been on United’s radar since he was a 16-year-old prospect at Valenciennes, and a £450,000 deal was reportedly agreed between both sides in 2015.

The centre-back visited Carrington and looked set to sign on the dotted line, but the move broke down due to a number of broken promises.

“An intermediary met with us, but there was a difference between the project she presented us and what was actually going to happen,” his ex-advisor Thierry Martinez said.

“A flat was promised, but that changed to a host family with only six return trips for his parents. When you uproot a player at such a young age, that isn’t enough. I wanted Dayot to have a stable emotional balance off the pitch.”

He developed his game with the Red Bull football group, playing for FC Liefering, RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig before completing a £38million move to Bayern Munich in 2021.

CB: Dean Huijsen

United reportedly sent scouts to watch Huijsen during his loan spell at Roma in the second half of the 2023-24 season, but they ultimately decided not to make an official approach to Juventus.

Bournemouth saw his potential and brought the then-19-year-old to the Premier League in a deal worth up to £15.2million with add-ons.

He enjoyed a sensational debut season with the Cherries in 2024-25 and was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

The Spain international quickly became one of the most sought-after centre-backs in European football, and Real Madrid triggered the £50million release clause in his contract.

LB: Alvaro Carreras

A United academy graduate, Carreras never made a first-team appearance for the club and had loan spells at Preston, Granada and Benfica.

The left-back joined the latter on a permanent deal in the summer of 2024, and United included a buy-back clause worth £16.7million.

Despite his impressive performances in Portugal, United focused on other areas and that allowed Real Madrid to secure his signature in 2025.

The LaLiga side triggered a £43.1million release clause in his Benfica contract, while United are now looking to buy a left-back to replace Luke Shaw.

CM: Moises Caicedo

United held talks with Independiente del Valle over signing Caicedo in January 2021, but complications arose when a host of intermediaries and agents all began demanding commissions.

The Red Devils decided to walk away from the deal, and that allowed Brighton & Hove Albion to step in and sign the Ecuador international for £4.5million.

He had a loan spell in Belgium before returning to Brighton and establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

Arsenal and Liverpool both made bids in 2023, but Chelsea came out on top after paying an initial £100million and another £15million in add-ons.

CM: Jude Bellingham

Following his brilliant breakthrough season at Birmingham City in 2019-20, Bellingham emerged as a top transfer target for United.

The then-16-year-old was given a tour of Carrington and met Sir Alex Ferguson, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson as part of a concerted effort to bring him to Old Trafford.

But United reportedly refused to match the £56,000-a-week contract offered by Borussia Dortmund, who also gave him a greater assurance of first-team football.

Dortmund signed the midfielder for £22.75million and later made a huge profit by selling him to Real Madrid for £115million in 2023.

CM: Rayan Cherki

Cherki has long been hailed as one of the most exciting talents in European football, and United tried to sign him at the age of 15.

United were reportedly willing to pay Lyon £8.5million for the midfielder in the summer of 2019, and they had a plane on standby at the Lyon-Bron airport waiting to take him to Manchester.

But he never boarded the plane as his family wanted him to make his first-team debut for his boyhood club, who then gave him his first professional contract.

The France international was eventually lured across the Channel six years later, but joined United’s local rivals in a £34million deal.

CAM: Julian Alvarez

While Ralf Rangnick struggled in his brief spell as caretaker manager at United in 2021-22, he is renowned for his eye for talent and recommended a number of players to the club.

“Julian Alvarez was of one of those players – he was offered to United and other clubs,” Fabrizio Romano confirmed. “He had a release clause, and was a player Rangnick had on his list at Lokomotiv Moscow.

“In the end, Man United decided not to proceed.”

Unlike United, Manchester City pushed ahead and triggered the £14.1million release clause in his River Plate contract in January 2022.

The Argentina international went from strength to strength in his two-year spell at City, who sold him to Atletico Madrid in a deal worth up to £81.5million.

ST: Erling Haaland

Having managed Haaland at Molde, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer alerted United to his ability in the summer of 2018 and asked for a £4million transfer fee.

“Erling was with me at Molde for two seasons, more or less,” Solskjaer said. “The summer before I came, I rang the club and said: ‘You have to sign this boy, he is going to be absolutely top class.’ That was in June or July and they said they didn’t have enough reports.

“By the time I came in as caretaker, we [Molde] had sold him to RB Salzburg.”

The Norway international spent just a year at Salzburg before moving to Borussia Dortmund, where he scored an incredible 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions.

Manchester City won a hotly-contested race for his signature in the summer of 2022 and triggered the £51.5million release clause in his Dortmund contract.

ST: Benjamin Sesko

Yes, we know what you’re thinking. Sesko is a United player.

He arrived at Old Trafford last summer after United paid RB Leipzig an initial £66.3million and £7.7million in add-ons, making him the fifth-most expensive signing in the club’s history.

But The Athletic claim that United’s interest in him goes back as far as 2019 when the then-16-year-old was with Slovenian side Domzale.

At that time, United were quoted a £2.5million fee, but they rejected the chance to sign him as they felt that asking price was ‘excessive’.

It may have been a lot of money to pay for a 16-year-old, but it also would’ve saved them £71.5million further down the line.