Alexander Isak turned down the opportunity to join Manchester United before he moved to Newcastle, according to reports in Spain.
The 22-year-old completed his £60m switch from Real Sociedad to St James' Park on Friday as the Magpies paid a club-record fee for him.
It has emerged that he could have moved to United instead, but his representatives recommended that he rejected their advances, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
It is understood that United made a 'juicy offer' to Isak, although Sociedad did not receive an official bid from the Red Devils.
Erik ten Hag has been able to get five new signings through the door in his first transfer window in the dugout, including Ajax duo Antony and Lisandro Martinez, plus serial Champions League winner Casemiro.
However, bringing in a new No9 has proved problematic.
The club started the summer with Cristiano Ronaldo and Anthony Martial as their only recognised strikers, and the former is now looking to leave Old Trafford to pursue Champions League football elsewhere.
Martial has also missed three of the team's opening four matches this term due to fitness issues.
The 13-time Premier League champions have been linked with a number of forwards including Marko Arnautovic, Mauro Icardi and Alvaro Morata, but have failed to get a deal over the line for any of these players.
Napoli's Victor Osimhen is another potential target, in a move which could see Ronaldo go the other way, but time is running out for United to come to an agreement with their Serie A counterparts ahead of Thursday's deadline.
It seems that Isak is another option that slipped away from United, and the Swede is now waiting to make his Premier League debut for Eddie Howe's side.
He was unable to feature against Wolves on Sunday due to not receiving a work permit in time, and he is facing an anxious wait to see whether he can get it before Newcastle return to action against Liverpool on Wednesday.
NJ1011
201
HE THINKS ITS COOL REJECTING A CLUB LIKE MAN UTD HE THOUGHT HE IS MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION . KNOW THIS BUDDY 😊 BARCA ALSO TUMBLED LAST SEASON AND LAST YEAR BUT THEY GOT BACK TOGETHER AND NOW THEY ARE STRONGER THAN EVER AND PLAYERS AND FANS WHO SUPPORTED THEIR AND CLUB AND STAYED ARE NOW RESPECTED AND CHERISHED BY ALL FOOTBALL FANS YOU DONT REJECT A BIG CLUB JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE STRUGGLING ITS THE WORST DECISION YOU MADE AND SOON YOU WILL REALISE IT HAVE A HAPPY LIFE IN NEWCASTLE 🥰🥰
Beautifulboy
83
A whole Man U? I don’t believe he rejected Man U. Even if Man U is in the relegation zone, a player like him will no reject a club like Man U for Newcastle. Never. Good luck to him anyway.👍🏼
tozlmpt
8
HE DID WELL BY NOT ACCEPTING MANCHESTER UNITED BECAUSE HE CANNOT CARRIED THE PRESSURE OF THE TEAM IN HIS SHOULDERS. UNITED IS TO BIG FOR HIM. IF YOU CANNOT PLAY FOR REAL MADRID, YOU CANNOT EQUALLY PLAY FOR MANCHESTER UNITED. THE TWO GREATEST CLUBS IN THE WORLD