10) Michael Laudrup (Juventus to Liverpool)
What Happened: Arguably the finest export to come out of Denmark - Carlsberg aside - the Dane looked set for a switch to Anfield at the start of the 1980s having caused a stir in his homeland with KB. But the deal collapsed when Laudrup refused to commit to the Merseysiders for more than three years. Soon after he joined Juventus for $1m - a then Danish transfer record.
9) Matt Le Tissier (Southampton to Tottenham)
What Happened: Le Tissier spent his entire career with the Saints, but it could have been an entirely different story. Tottenham made a move for his services ahead of the 1989-90 season, but Le Tiss pulled out of the deal at the very last minute - with his fiancee not keen on a move to London!
8) Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest to Blackburn)
What happened: Keano upset many people in his heyday, none more so than Blackburn boss Kenny Dalglish, who believed he had completed a deal to sign the Forest midfielder in the summer of 1993. Rumour has it that Dalglish tried to force the move through late on a Friday afternoon, but was made to wait until Monday to complete the paperwork. By then, though, Sir Alex Ferguson had been on the blower to his future United skipper and had managed to prize him away from Rovers' grasp.
7) Cristiano Ronaldo (Sporting Lisbon to Arsenal)
What happened: Arsene Wenger almost stole a march on Fergie in the quest to sign the youngster who would go on to become the world's costliest player. The Arsenal boss recalls: "I had Ronaldo at the training ground. I showed him around and I gave him a shirt. It had his name on the back. I wanted him to be here." However, Ronaldo instead jumped at the chance to join fellow compatriot Carlos Quieroz at Old Trafford - and the rest is history.
6) Paul Gascoigne (Newcastle to Manchester United)
What Happened: Gazza attracted interest from both United and Spurs after being named the PFA Young Player of the Year following his performances in the 1987-88 season. Despite favouring a move to Liverpool, no bid arrived from the Merseysiders, leaving Fergie and Terry Venables to compete for his signature. Gascoigne initially agreed on a move to Old Trafford, but at the 11th hour he went back on his word and joined Tottenham for £2.3m - a then British transfer record.
5) Kenny Dalglish (Trialist)
What happened: Having been invited down to West Ham for a trial, Hammers boss Ron Greenwood decided against signing the young starlet because he was deemed too lightweight. The Irons' loss was Celtic's gain. Dalglish flourished in his home city before a move to Liverpool, where he is now widely regarded as the best player in the club's history.
4) Zinadine Zidane (Bordeaux to Blackburn)
What happened: "Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?" That was the 'expert' view of chairman Jack Walker, who decided against bankrolling a move for Zizou. Kenny Dalglish had agreed a deal in principle to sign the Frenchman, along with compatriot Christophe Dugarry. But much to his amazement, the board refused to sanction his request. Sherwood proved to be a popular figure at Ewood Park, but he was no match for Zidane who went on to become a World Cup winner and World Player of the Year in 1998.
3) Alan Shearer (Newcastle United to Manchester United)
What happened: Shearer famously turned down Fergie - twice! The United boss was keen on pairing Big Al alongside Eric Cantona, but saw his dream partnership slip between his fingers. Having initially failed to prize him away from Southampton - when Shearer joined Blackburn instead - Sir Alex returned with a second bid for the Geordie favourite following Euro '96 - a tournament which saw the England No.9 collect the Golden Boot after a five-goal haul. Shearer's head would not be turned though, and he chose instead to join his hometown club of Newcastle.
2) Eric Cantona (Nimes to Sheffield Wednesday)
What happened: After throwing a bit of a hissy-fit, the striker announced his retirement from the game in 1991. While he angered many in France, Cantona was attracting much attention on British soil. Trevor Francis invited the mercurial forward to Sheffield - an invitation he willingly accepted. When asked to stay on for a second week on trial, however, Cantona refused. Unlike Francis, Leeds boss Howard Wilkinson needed no convincing, and snapped him up on a permanent deal.
1) Diego Maradona (Argentinos Juniors to Sheffield United)
What happened: Wednesday manager Harry Haslam had struck a deal to sign Maradona for an estimated £600,000, but after being told there were no funds to complete the deal, he turned to Alex Sabella as his replacement.
If all the transfer done , Diego might not be the best footballer ever and Zidane might not be one of the most expensive !
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