- 15 hours ago
Man Utd sacking RUINED chances of signing Real Madrid legend
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 26 Sep 2024 07:06 CDT
- 3 min read
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has revealed that Manchester United were inches away from signing him.
The German veteran, in fact, has claimed that he gave then-United boss David Moyes his word he would join while sitting on his couch in 2014.
Of course, the move did not materialise and Kroos instead went on to join Real Madrid. The former player won five Champions League trophies and four La Liga titles during his 10-year tenure.
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Kroos enjoyed a storied tenure with Real Madrid. He had moved there in 2014 in a deal worth €25m. He made 465 appearances for the Spanish giants in total, netting 28 goals along the way.
At the time, United had registered an interest in Kroos just after Sir Alex Ferguson retired as their manager. But before a deal took place Moyes was sacked at Old Trafford, leaving the transfer broken and beyond repair.
Current ETV
Toni Kroos
M, DM (C)
Real Madrid
Toni Kroos
M, DM (C)
Real Madrid
ETV Range
€8.1M - €13.4M
Kroos told German TV channel SPORT1: "In 2014, before I signed with Real Madrid, I had already agreed with Manchester United.
"That would have been a move from Bayern to United. But then they kicked out David Moyes, who I was still sitting on my couch with in Munich and hired Louis van Gaal. Then we both declined with thanks."
It's not the first time that this transfer has been spoken about in public. In 2018 Moyes said to TalkSport: "Toni Kroos had agreed to come to United with me. I met him and his wife and we agreed it all when he was at Bayern Munich."
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Moyes not backed
The Scotsman also claimed that United did not support him in the transfer market. "When I first went into United my real target was Gareth Bale,' he said in 2016. 'I felt all along that Gareth Bale was a Manchester United player and I fought to get him [from Tottenham] right up until the last minute.
"We actually offered him a bigger deal than Real Madrid but Gareth had his mind made up on going to Madrid. He was, though, in my mind, the player I really wanted.
"The other one I came really close to getting was Cesc Fabregas, who we thought we would get [from Barcelona] right up until the last minute. And Sir Alex [Ferguson] had told me there was always a chance Cristiano Ronaldo might come back from Real Madrid."
