Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has conceded that he would have liked to sign Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace.
The England international ended speculation over his future last week by agreeing to join Manchester United in the summer for a reported £12m.
However, despite admitting that Zaha is player who he rates highly, Pardew has confessed that the Magpies had "no chance" of landing the 20-year-old.
"Zaha is a typical example of trying to take a young player out of the Championship. I like Zaha. I wanted to take him but, seriously, we had no chance. We just can't pay that," Pardew told reporters.
"We got four players for that. It suited our needs better to strengthen several positions for that sort of money."
Pardew has signed Mathieu Debuchy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Yoan Goufran, Massadio Haidara and Moussa Sissoko all from Ligue 1 this month.
