The fact that Sheffield United came close to bringing a teenage Diego Maradona to England is now the stuff of footballing folklore - but he is far from the only big name to be on the verge of a move to Bramall Lane. As with every club up and down the land, the Blades have had their share of near-misses in the transfer market.
From unknowns who went on to win the Champions League to potential bargains that saw the Blades blown out of the water, we had a look at the stories behind 17 players who were either close to joining United, or wanted to do so but never did ... how many of these did you know about?
17. Cole Palmer
Another cautionary tale of how things could have been so different. The Blades were keen on a loan move for the Manchester City youngster ahead of their Premier League return in 2022 and City, crucially, were open to the idea as well. But things changed when Palmer scored a stunning goal in City’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal that summer and he ended up staying at City that season, with James McAtee returning to Bramall Lane on loan instead. Palmer then made a £40m move to Chelsea and has not looked back since, with United left wondering what could have been had he pulled on the red and white shirt… | Getty Images