5 big transfers of the summer that never happened

#3 Willian to Manchester United

Mourinho wanted a reunion with his old star at United.

Manchester United were very interested in signing Willian from Chelsea over the summer. There were reports that Chelsea were looking at replacements for the Brazilian, as Willian looked set to join United. There was also a leaked image of Willian in a United jersey, which was later revealed to be a fake.

At one point, Manchester United were willing to do a swap deal for Willian, involving Martial, such was their desperation.

Willian then added fuel to the fire, by stating in an interview that Mourinho was the best manager he had worked with. He also mentioned that the two of them were still in touch. He then spoke of his desire to work under the Portuguese again. But the rumours dried up well ahead of the Transfer Deadline Day.

However, it was later revealed that Chelsea refused to sell Willian to United because of Nemanja Matic. Last season, Matic had joined United from Chelsea, and the move was highly criticized by fans. Chelsea did not want a repetition of the same. It was also reported that Woodward was willing to bid for other players, including Bale and Neymar, but Mourinho was adamant that Willian was the player he wanted.