MANCHESTER UNITED missed out on signing RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano — because of a row over just £200,000.
Germans Leipzig signed him for £9million in 2017.
And he is now worth around £55m and rated one of Europe’s best centre-halves.
But the French defender could have been playing FOR United in the Champions League this week, instead of facing them, if a fee had been agreed five years ago.
Upamecano was at Old Trafford with his mum and agent as a deal was lined up with then club Valenciennes — only to fall apart over a small sum of money.
The defender, 21, was just 16 when he arrived at United in the hope of sealing his dream deal to one of Europe’s giant clubs.
But instead, Upamecano and his party went away upset as United chiefs only offered £500,000 while the French club demanded £700,000.
It was considered too much to pay for a player who was already in the France under-16 and U-17 teams and tipped for the top.
An insider in the deal said: “Dayot wanted to join United and the fee really was nothing.
“At first he got the red-carpet treatment but then they would not go that bit further with their offer and he was gone.”
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Instead, RB Salzburg snapped him up just two weeks late4.
They paid the asking price and pledging extras.
Liverpool are strongly linked and, ironically, United have been looking again — only this time he will cost a lot more than £700,000.
