A nasal spray given to Riyad Mahrez by the Algerian medical team stopped Manchester City teammate Leroy Sane from joining Bayern Munich last summer, according to The Athletic.
Sane has been out for five months after having cruciate ligament surgery for an injury sustained against Liverpool in the Community Shield in August.
The injury put an end to Bayern's hopes of acquiring the player for the start of this season, but The Athletic have now revealed that Mahrez was set to feature ahead of the German at Wembley that day.
However, the former Leicester City winger had been battling a cold while on duty at the Africa Cup of Nations a few weeks earlier and was consequently given a nasal spray by the Algerian medical staff.
Upon his return from international duty, Man City's medics were unable to ascertain what was in the spray - and after notifying the FA - the club made the decision to exclude him from the squad to ensure the Algerian would not breach doping rules.
That saw Sane start the match against Jurgen Klopp's men and play his last match for the next five months at least.
The news comes after Leroy Sane was pictured on Thursday continuing rehabilitation training on his journey back from his knee injury.
However, the fact that Sane is close to returning to training with the rest of his City teammates has not been enough for Bayern to consider reviving their interest this month.
Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic told German outlet BILD on Thursday: 'No, it is not an option in winter.'
Sportsmail reported last summer that Sane missed out on a lucrative £20.8million-a-year Bayern contract due to the injury.
Sane's current contract at the Etihad runs out in June 2021 but he has often found himself struggling for a place in the starting XI under manager Pep Guardiola.
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Wow, the journalist powers of observation and deduction are 2nd to only Sherlock Holmes. [Crylaugh] A sneeze in Africa leading to massive changes in Germany's top football League. Beats the butterfly effect.