10 transfer deadline day deals that fell apart including David de Gea’s fax machine farce & Lewandowski to Blackburn

3 months ago 20

TRANSFER Deadline Day has seen some dramatic last-gasp deals in years gone by – but also some near misses.

From David de Gea’s fax machine farce to Peter Odemwingie turning up outside QPR’s Loftus Road, there has been no shortage of final day drama.

Several big names have missed out on blockbuster moves that looked set to happen before the window closed.

SunSport takes a look at some of the most dramatic Deadline Day deals that collapsed, with one happening just last summer.

David de Gea to Real Madrid

The goalkeeper had been linked with a move to Real Madrid for several years by the time the Spanish giants had a bid accepted for De Gea in the summer of 2015.

De Gea, 33, even penned a Real contract but a delay in United returning the necessary paperwork combined with a dodgy fax machine scuppered the deal.

A dodgy fax machine prevented David de Gea’s move to Real Madrid[/caption]

Mo Salah to Al-Ittihad

Mo Salah, 31, was linked with a spectacular move to Saudi Arabia in the summer as Al-Ittihad prepared a £170million transfer bid.

Liverpool rejected their advances as Jurgen Klopp issued a hands off warning – but the rumours have not died down so Salah could be off at the end of the season.

Mo Salah could still make a move to Saudi Arabia[/caption]

Peter Odemwingie to QPR

Odemwingie, 42, created a piece of Deadline Day folklore when he rocked up outside Loftus Road in an attempt to push through a move from West Brom.

Unfortunately for the Nigerian he was left red-faced as a deal never materialised, making for an awkward return when he turned up at Baggies training.

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Robert Lewandowski to Blackburn

Cast your mind back to 2010 when Blackburn were a solid Premier League outfit under the tutelage of Sam Allardyce.

Such a proposition appealed to Robert Lewandowski but he was prevented from flying to the club because of the eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull.

Lewandowski, 35, instead signed for Borussia Dortmund before going on to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich.

Robert Lewandowski was open to joining Blackburn before a volcano got in his way[/caption]

Ousmane Dembele to Chelsea

Chelsea were heavily tipped to sign Ousmane Dembele, 26, from Barcelona in a January Deadline Day deal in 2022, with one report claiming the transfer was “99 per cent done”.

But the Blues ran out of time and a failure to agree terms meant talks ultimately failed to progress.

Chelsea’s ambitious move for Ousmane Dembele almost came off in January 2022[/caption]

Kaka to Manchester City

Manchester City held talks with Kaka over a stunning £100m Deadline Day move in 2009 – six months before he signed for Real Madrid in a world-record transfer.

The Brazilian, 41, later revealed he rejected the switch as he only wanted to join Real if he had to leave AC Milan.

Kaka said he only wanted to leave AC Milan for Real Madrid[/caption]

Nabir Fekir to Liverpool

Fekir, 30, was constantly linked with a move to the Prem before signing for Real Betis and a transfer nearly materialised to Liverpool in 2018.

He even spoke with Jurgen Klopp and was about to sign before a problem with the negotiations thwarted the deal.

Antonee Robinson to Milan

Fulham defender Robinson, 26, was on the verge of joining Milan in January 2020 – before tests found an issue with his heart.

His hopes of a dream transfer from Wigan were dashed because of an insufficient heartbeat, which was all down to his caffeine intake, so the American cut back on his coffee intake and later he joined Fulham and helped the club win promotion to the Premier League.

Robinho to Chelsea

Man City were very newly minted in 2008 and set their sights on a marquee signing. Having failed with a bid for Lionel Messi, they turned their attention to Robinho.

The Real Madrid striker had been expected to join Chelsea, but City’s millions torpedoed that move. Even Robinho was surprised, with a slip of the tongue from the Brazilian who said he was delighted to be joining the Blues before a reporter reminded him he had just signed for Man City.

Robinho nearly joined Chelsea[/caption]

Joao Moutinho to Tottenham

The former Portugal international, 37, was “minutes” away from signing for Tottenham in August 2012 after Spurs agreed a £24m deal with Porto.

But the paperwork for the deal was not submitted to the Premier League in time and the then 25-year-old returned to Portugal before signing for Monaco 12 months later.