Marc Cucurella is a desired man! Spaniard turned down four clubs and fought off two approaches in attempt to prove himself at Chelsea

• Man Utd wanted to sign Cucurella
• Deal failed due to break clause
• Man City also made a discreet attempt in January

WHAT HAPPENED? According to Fabrizio Romano, United failed to land Cucurella at Old Trafford as Chelsea and the player did not agree to the break clause that the Red Devils wanted in the contract, which meant that they could have sent the left-back back to London in January if they wanted. Erik ten Hag wanted a temporary solution due to injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia and wanted to have the option of letting Cucurella return to Chelsea once the regulars were back. However, both Chelsea and Cucurella were not convinced and the deal collapsed which forced United to settle with Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham.

Moreover, United were not happy with Mauricio Pochettino naming Cucurella in the Carabao Cup game against AFC Wimbledon which cup-tied the Spaniard. If the player eventually made the move to Old Trafford then he would not have been able to play in the cup tournament because of the rules.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Cucurella had no shortage of offers and it is reported that RB Leipzig, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad and Fulham all approached Chelsea for the defender but the player was not keen to move. Even, Manchester City made an attempt to get him on board in January with a loan deal with an option to buy in the summer which was rejected by Chelsea. City manager, Pep Guardiola, has been a long-time admirer of Cucurella and after Oleksandr Zinchenko left for Arsenal he wanted to get him to fill the vacancy.

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WHAT NEXT? After making a big-money move from Brighton last summer to Chelsea, Cucurella has struggled to express himself in his new surroundings. However, under Pochettino the full-back would hope to revive his form and shine in the ongoing campaign.