Manchester United have reportedly failed in a bid to sign Fabio Coentrao from Real Madrid on a season-long loan deal.
The Premier League champions made a late move for the Portuguese full-back on the final day of the summer transfer window, but the paperwork needed to finish the deal was not completed before the deadline.
Reports in Spain have also suggested that the move fell through because Madrid could not complete a deal for Granada defender Guilherme Siqueira, who was rumoured to have been lined up as Coentrao's replacement.
Coentrao had been linked with Tottenham Hotspur this summer as a possible makeweight in the deal that saw Gareth Bale move to the Spanish club for a world-record fee.
United were able to complete the transfer of Marouane Fellaini, who moved to Old Trafford from Everton on Monday.