Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke admits they fought off interest this summer in Jadon Sancho.
Manchester United were one of the teams believed to be chasing the England wingers signature following his impressive performances for club and country.
Watzke told Ruhr Nachrichten: "A chief of one of the super clubs asked me back in spring if there was a chance [to sign Sancho] but I told him straight away he should forget about it and he never contacted me again.
"He knew I meant what I said."
Real Madrid were also tracking Sancho's progress, and despite Watzke's firm stance on the 100 million-rated star, he conceded he will not be able to keep hold of him forever.
"There aren't many 19-year-olds with such a potential," he said. "He is also not a player from the region or one who would have any connection to it.
"When you have a player like Jadon Sancho, you must reassess the situation every single year. Everything else would not be honest.
"If a foreign player is not convinced that the club is right for him at the exact time, it just does not make any sense [to keep him]."
