Tottenham winger Lucas Moura has revealed he came incredibly close to joining Manchester United in the summer of 2012 before backing out at the last minute in favour of Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian started his career with his boyhood club Sao Paulo and quickly attracted interest from abroad with several European powerhouses tracking his progress.
He made 86 appearances for the Brazilian side in all competitions and by the end of his second full season had a number of offers on the table.
Manchester United and Inter Milan were favourites to land the emerging talent but a last-gasp approach from PSG persuaded him to make a U-turn on his decision to move to England.
'Representatives of Inter were in talks with Sao Paulo, but Manchester United were the ones I came very close to joining,' the 26-year-old told FourFourTwo.
'Everything was agreed, but then there was a last-minute call from Leonardo [PSG's director of football at the time], who told me about this ambitious new project. PSG were buying top-quality players and there were a few other Brazilians involved, too.
'So I chose PSG, mainly because I thought the adaptation would be easier alongside many of my compatriots.
'It wasn't an easy decision, but I spent five great years in Paris and developed as a player and a human being. I will always be grateful to PSG.'
The forward went on to lift four Ligue 1 titles and seven domestic cups during his time in the French capital before moving to United's Premier League rivals Tottenham in January last year.
