United's scouting activities and enquiries about players (not the same as firm interest) are regularly used by the press and agents to drum up interest in clients.

Everyone here slow-wanked all summer about Thiago potentially joining, and then hated on the board (and has referred to it ever since as a failing of Woodward/Moyes) when we "failed" to sign him.

We were never in for him. The player himself confirmed this.

Thiago: ""There was never any firm proposal. De Gea wrote the message on the ball, but I'd have done the same with him … it was always going to be Munich"

Thiago: ""The truth is that in no moment did United come to us and talk to us. It came from the press, it was always a lie."

It happened with Pedro, too.

Comments from this sub at the time:

United likes to fuck about to get an extra few millions off fees/wages or what?

Classic United.

Fuck. I honestly don't think he wanted to come to United.

We had a chance to sign Thiago before Bayern came along, but for some reasons, we slacked off and Bayern showed us how to make a purchase.

it's not cool for Moyes to say that Thiago was never our target. I mean, we seriously need a midfielder

the cold hard truth is we missed out and not strengthening our midfield may cost us the title

It's sad we have this happen to us every year now a days. Lucas and Hazard only last year.

United were unwilling to increase their 18m bid to 25m!

Fuck our lack on conviction in the transfer market.

The board has shown with Martial that it's willing to pay huge money for young talent. In instances like this, the economics are usually the same for the player (i.e. Sanches would have been on £140k a week at United or £140k a week at Bayern) because agents can tout deals, and the player gets to choose. Or: a club declines to bid for a player because they don't see value.

Can we please stop shitting blood over the fact that we didn't sign someone we [allegedly] scouted just because the press are questioning why we didn't sign him?