Manchester United lined up a sensational swap deal on deadline day but Jadon Sancho’s transfer preference stopped the move in its tracks.
Sancho accepted he had to leave Old Trafford after being placed in Ruben Amorim’s bomb squad following his return to the club earlier in the summer.
The ex-England winger spent last season on loan at Chelsea and wanted to secure a permanent transfer to Stamford Bridge.
But Chelsea failed to agree terms with Sancho and ultimately decided to pay a £5m penalty to send him back to Manchester United.
Sancho held talks with multiple Serie A clubs before Aston Villa launched a shock deadline-day move to sign him on loan.
Your ultimate guide to the football season
Metro’s football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it’s an open goal.
Marcus Rashford enjoyed a promising loan spell at Villa Park last season and Unai Emery will hope for similar success from Sancho following his departure from Old Trafford.
Aston Villa’s interest in Sancho gave Manchester United hope of signing Emiliano Martinez, who has been heavily linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams last summer.
Martinez appeared to bid farewell to Villa fans at the end of last season and was then left out of Sunday’s defeat to Crystal Palace amid intense transfer speculation.
United expressed interest in signing the Argentina World Cup winner following Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir’s struggles in goal.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims United were interested in signing Martinez in a straight swap deal with Sancho as they value both players at around £25m.
However, Sancho’s desire to leave on loan rather than a permanent transfer scuppered any chances of Manchester United and Aston Villa agreeing a stunning swap deal.
Old Trafford legend Rio Ferdinand, speaking on his YouTube channel, admitted he was fully supportive of Manchester United’s interest in Martinez.
‘I was all in on Emi Martinez because of his experience, personality and character,’ he said.
‘He’s won a World Cup and plays for Argentina where the pressure is absolutely immense.
‘Man United need as much personality as they need ability coming through the door and he fit the bill completely.
‘It’s an area where there isn’t much confidence in the squad at all. Martinez is a ready-made Premier League goalkeeper so I would have been happy with that.’
While Manchester United’s interest in Martinez failed to materialise into a deal, the Red Devils have signed a new goalkeeper for Ruben Amorim.
Belgian shot-stopper Senne Lammens flew to Manchester on deadline day to complete an £18m move from Royal Antwerp.
The 23-year-old made 63 appearances for Antwerp and will provide competition for current Manchester United goalkeepers Onana and Bayindir.
‘I am extremely proud to be joining Manchester United; it is a real dream come true,’ Lammens said.
‘The past few years have been an amazing journey; it’s now ended in an incredible destination and hopefully the beginning of something special.
‘You can feel the positive atmosphere that is being created here, and I know that I can make a real impact at the club in the coming years.
‘I cannot wait to get to know my team-mates and begin working with Ruben and the coaching staff.
‘This is the perfect place to keep developing, grow together with this exciting team and achieve my career objectives.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.