12 players who rejected Man Utd as Dimitri Payet joins Sadio Mane and Toni Kroos

Manchester United's allure has far from diminished in the transfer market despite their malaise.

The Red Devils can still attract the world's top players - regardless of whether they come in as part of a coherent recruitment strategy with long-term vision for glory or a stop-gap to short-term gain. However, there are still dozens of star players that get away at Old Trafford.

The latest to reveal he rejected United's advances is French star Dimitri Payet, who claims he preferred Marseille over Manchester in 2017 after ending a remarkable two-year stint at West Ham.

“I’m not someone who lives with regrets. I made a choice, which was just as much related to football as it was to family, to come back to Marseille," Payet told RMC Sport. "There were other clubs, big clubs. There were Manchester United and others. It was a personal and family choice. I think it was the best for me and my family.”

Here, Mirror Football looks back on some of the other stars who have escaped United's grasp over the years...

United rolled out the red carpet for Bellingham in an attempt to sign England's brightest young talent from Birmingham two years ago. Sir Alex Ferguson even gave the teenager a personal tour of the club's Carrington training facility.

But a German project in the name of Borussia Dortmund was more enticing for Bellingham and his development has been superb in the Bundesliga. Still only 18, the England midfielder's next move will be a monster one and United will undoubtedly be in the hunt if and when he becomes available once again.

Louis Van Gaal made Mane one of his prime targets in 2015 before he moved to Liverpool. The Senegal international may have proved an unassuming signing at the time, but his development