Amid claims of imposters meddling in negotiations, Manchester United pulled the plug on a deal for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera over his buyout clause. The Mirror says United were poised to land the Athletic Bilbao midfielder, but were unwilling to pay the fee needed to trigger his release clause.
After a frantic day of negotiations in Spain, the Old Trafford giants called off the deal less than an hour before Monday night's 11pm deadline.
And United's bid to sign Herrera ended in farce, as three imposters posing as a delegation of Red Devils officials helped scupper the deal.
Reports from Spain claimed the trio of men were not United officials, despite visiting the offices of La Liga in Madrid to try to finalise the deal.
Herrera had been told United were ready to complete the deal to buy him but the bogus officials left when they were required to make the payment.
Spanish star Herrera was even ready to undergo a medical but saw his dream move to Old Trafford dashed when United decided to end their interest.
