Wesley Sneijder reveals who stopped him from signing for Manchester United

Former Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder has revealed his agent was behind a failed move to Manchester United after asking the club for more money.

Sneijder enjoyed a glittering career spanning 17 years and six different countries, starting off at Ajax before moving to Real Madrid and then Inter Milan in 2009.

The midfielder hit his peak in Milan, helping them to a historic treble in 2010 and guiding the Netherlands to a World Cup final that summer.

It was around then that the Dutchman was constantly linked with a move to United, however the Dutchman's move never materialised, leading many to think it was merely paper talk.

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Sir Alex Ferguson himself claimed in 2021 that United were 'never interested' in Sneijder, although the former player has suggested otherwise.

“Well, actually, I was close in 2011," Sneijder told SPORTbible. "I was close in 2011 after the Champions League and after the World Cup. But then, what I heard later is that because at a certain point, we were talking with United and at a certain point, there was nothing anymore.

“And I asked my manager, ‘What happened with United?’ and he said, ‘No, nothing, it’s over’. But two years later, I found out that he asked for extra money for himself. So that's why the deal was over. So actually, [Sir Alex] Ferguson, he told one of my relatives.”

Sneijder would stay in Milan for another 18 months before joining Galatasaray in January 2013. He would eventually move on to French side Nice before ending his career at Al-Gharafa in Qatar.