A bizarre sequence of events saw Manchester United miss out on one sought-after transfer target after 'impostors' attempted to hijack the deal with farcical demands.

The Ander Herrera transfer saga of 2013 was a unique situation that saw Manchester United miss their target for the strangest of reasons. The Red Devils were known to be in pursuit of the former Spain midfielder when three agents sought to hijack the transfer.

David Moyes, who was United manager at the time, said the deal collapsed due to Athletic Bilbao's extortionate demands over the fee. However, fans could hardly believe their eyes when reports emerged suggesting the move was actually off because 'impostors' claiming to act on United's behalf had arrived at Athletic's offices offering to pay his buyout clause on deadline day.

The details were like something out of a Hollywood script rather than transfer negotiations. So many will have been even more shocked to hear Herrera himself confirm that truly was the reason his move to Old Trafford never materialised 12 years ago.

"I didn't even know them," the 35-year-old said on the UTD Podcast in 2022. "I know my lawyers and I know my agent. It is the same agent as when I was 18. They [hoaxers] were trying to make easy money – I don't know how.

"I think they wanted to be there if the negotiation was successful, they wanted everyone to think that they were the ones who did it and, maybe after that, they can have more players or more negotiations.

"But I didn't even know them, honestly. It was funny because some of my friends say, 'Your lawyers are in La Liga and they are going to pay the money,' and I said, 'No, they are not my lawyers. I do not know them.'"

La Liga sources appeared eager to downplay the 'impostor' aspect of the storyline at the time, insisting the three lawyers, Rodrigo Garcia Lucas, Alvaro Reig Gurrea and Guillermo Gutierrez, were indeed working for United. Moyes added more intrigue when the Scot admitted that the collapse was due to the club feeling "the buyout was the wrong valuation."

After missing out on Herrera, United instead rushed through a £27.5m deadline-day deal for Marouane Fellaini from Everton.