Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly wanted to bring Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish to Old Trafford during this summer's transfer window.
The Red Devils signed Edinson Cavani, Alex Telles, Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri on deadline day, adding to the earlier capture of Donny van de Beek from Ajax.
However, according to ESPN, United failed to land any of Solskjaer's primary targets before the international market came to a close on October 5.
The report claims that the club's head coach had identified Grealish as a leading target, but the Englishman ultimately signed a new long-term deal at Villa Park last month.
The 25-year-old played a key role in Villa avoiding relegation from the Premier League last season and has also started the 2020-21 campaign in fine form, scoring four times and contributing three assists in four outings.
United were also strongly linked with Borussia Dortmund attacker Jadon Sancho but were unable to secure a deal for the England international ahead of the closing of the window.
Matt Law
