Manchester United were prepared to pay the buyout clause of Samuel Umtiti's Barcelona contract - two years ago.
Sport reports United played a key role in securing Umtiti a new contract at FC Barcelona.
United were willing to pay the French defender's then release clause of €60m to sign him from Barcelona two years ago, something which accelerated his contract renewal talks.
As a result of the rumoured interest Barcelona offered the centre-back a new long-term deal with a whopping €500m release clause.
Barca are now struggling to find a buyer for Umtiti, with his past 18 months plagued by injury.
