Marko Arnautovic claims that when Jose Mourinho wanted to sign him from West Ham United, Manchester United 'didn't have enough money' to do so.
During his productive time at West Ham United, Arnautovic was in high demand, and Manchester United kept an eye on his development in the Premier League.
The Portuguese manager, who had previously collaborated with the unconventional Austrian talent at Inter Milan, hoped to do so at Old Trafford while in charge of the team.
Arnautovic chose to remain in London despite the Red Devils' best efforts, finally departing for China rather than England.The 33-year-old made reference to Paul Pogba's transfer to Man United when discussing his aborted move to Manchester United and the reasons why it failed.
Through Voce Giallo Rossa, he spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport and stated: "When I was playing for West Ham, Jose [Mourinho] wanted me. He enquired as to my rate. United had already acquired Pogba, however, so they lacked the funds to sign me."
The unsuccessful transfer to Man United was also discussed by Arnautovic's agent, Tiziano Pasquali, who revealed that his client had declined the offer.Yes, Manchester United and Juventus had stepped forward, "added he. "We had a written offer from the English, and the negotiations had gone on despite some opposition from their supporters.
"But in the end, Marko decided to stay in Bologna rather than prolong the situation. How can you believe that he is currently in bad shape?"
After spending two years in China, Arnautovic signed with Serie A team Bologna last year, bringing him back to Europe.
He led the Italian team in scoring last season with 15 goals across all competitions. This year, he has eight goals.
Read more:After their opening-day loss to Brighton, it was revealed that United had made a £6.8 million offer for Arnautovic, a former West Ham and Stoke forward who is presently playing for Serie A team Bologna.
But the Italian side quickly rejected that offer.
Despite the massively unfavorable response from fans, a better offer was anticipated; however, after several days of ambiguity, it now seems United has backed out of the signing of the player.
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