Liverpool star’s dad had pivotal ‘disagreement’ with Man Utd which killed transfer hopes

Manchester United reportedly missed the opportunity to sign Liverpool's young talent Stefan Bajcetic after trying to negotiate a lower price for the midfielder.

The young player stood out in an otherwise unimpressive 2022/23 season and seems destined for a bright future despite troubles with injury in recent times. However, things could have been very different for Bajcetic as it has now been revealed that he could have been playing for arch-rivals United, according to The Athletic.

While showing promise at Celta Vigo, Bajcetic and his father were approached by United with the intention of bringing the Spanish player back to Carrington. However, a disagreement over the transfer fee led to the deal falling through, allowing Liverpool to swoop in and sign the then-17-year-old just a few months later.

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It is said that United had initially reached out to the defensive midfielder, who can also play centre-half, in 2020 while looking for a young defender and had even come to a preliminary agreement, reports the Mirror.

However, it is claimed that Sam Barnett, the club's former football negotiations manager, contacted Bajcetic's father, asking him to remove his son from Celta Vigo so that only €100,000 (£85,000) compensation would need to be paid for his signature.

Bajcetic's father, Srdjan, a former Vigo player and club employee declined, and the young defender went on to join United's rivals. Lyndon Tomlinson, former head of academy recruitment assistant at United, spoke to The Athletic about the situation, admitting that the minimal cost for Bajcetic might not have been worth passing up.

The United scout said: "United still needed a centre-back. So we went to the next one on the list: 'Well, we're gonna have to go and watch him, which will cost money'. Then we got to about fourth on the list, and we said, 'Look, they're on the list to give context, but we're not confident of going and paying money for one of those'."

There's been a sea change since Bajcetic last featured in Liverpool's midfield line-up. Last September, he was benched due to a calf injury that kept him out until April. The influx of new players like Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch, plus another new midfielder rumoured to be joining this window, means competition is fierce.

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Fully fit again, Bajcetic will be looking to make his mark under new manager Arne Slot. But things could have taken a very different turn at Old Trafford if it were not for the deal's collapse.