They'll be many a Man United fan muttering 'typical' under the breath.
The Old Trafford faithful have previous experience of exciting young targets being snaffled by other clubs at the last minute, and in particular Bayern Munich.
Who can forget Thiago Alcântara joining the German club after a summer of being storied to the move to Manchester? Now it's happened again.
United have been linked to 18-year-old Renato Sanches for months. The Benfica starlet has impressed in both the Portuguese league and in Europe with his all-action displays. Such is the player's rising star that he has been compared to Clarence Seedorf and Michael Essien.
With each passing week it seemed more and more likely that he was heading to Old Trafford, no doubt to join his fellow Portuguese Jose Mourinho. Alas it's not be, as reliable German journalist Raphael Honigstein has confirmed that Bayern have once again pounced.
Better luck next time, eh Ed Woodward?
https://twitter.com/honigstein/status/729975992022880256
https://twitter.com/andybrassell/status/729977895561613312
