United made five signings but missed out on one star in particular.

Manchester United made a total of five signings over the summer but transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has now revealed how the Old Trafford club missed out on an attacker’s services with a failed approach during the close season.

United’s business during the summer window saw them address a number of positions in their first-team squad as Erik ten Hag looks to build on last season’s FA Cup success by getting the club back into the Champions League.

Joshua Zirkzee arrived from Italian outfit Bologna in a £36.5 million deal, before beating Real Madrid to the signing of French defender Leny Yoro from Lille from an initial £52 million.

United completed a double deal with Bayern Munich for defensive duo Mattihjs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui for around £50 million for the pair.

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And United ended the transfer window by signing Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day for an initial £42 million fee.

United sit 10th in the Premier League table after four games so far and were victorious last time out in the division with a 3-0 win on the road against Southampton.

Ten Hag’s side followed that up in midweek with the biggest win of his tenure after a 7-0 victory in the League Cup third round over League One Barnsley, leading to the visiting manager threatening to ‘slap’ his own players after their loss.

United travel to Selhurst Park on Saturday for an evening match against Crystal Palace as they aim for back-to-back Premier League victories.

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But United did not sign every player they wanted over the summer, as their pursuit for Xavi Simons illustrated.

United were interested in signing Netherlands star Simons, who was part of the Dutch squad at Euro 2024, and scored against England in their 2-1 defeat as the Three Lions came from behind thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins.

Simons is on the books of PSG, having initially joined the French club from Barcelona in 2022.

The winger spent the 2022/23 campaign back in his native Netherlands at PSV Eindhoven but completed a permanent move back to the Parc des Princes in the summer of 2023.

He was immediately sent out on loan to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and has rejoined the German outfit again this summer for the second season in a row.

According to transfer guru Romano, United sounded out Simons’ availability prior to the Euros to ascertain if he was interested in a move to England.

However, the move did not materialise as the player wanted to head back to Germany, before potentially trying something different in the summer of 2025.

So while the move for Simons did not come off this summer, it might leave the door open for a move to Old Trafford to happen in fewer than 12 months’ time.