Manchester United had bid rejected for Arda Turan last summer

Manchester United had a bid rejected for Arda Turan last summer, his agent has confirmed. The Red Devils were in the market for quality reinforcements last summer but were scuppered in their attempts as Atletico Madrid refused to let the Turkish international move to Old Trafford.

Turan eventually signed a deal with Barcelona in July, who had a transfer embargo and were not able to register the player officially on that date. However, the ban will be over in January, which would allow the Turkey captain to put pen to paper and compete in his first game with the Catalans. His agent Ahmet Bulut revealed that the scenario could have been very different if Atletico had acquiesced to negotiating with the Red Devils when they came calling.

"Last season Manchester United made a bid for Arda but Atletico Madrid did not want him to leave," Bulut said, as quoted by the Mirror. "I was in talks with Barcelona but told nobody about it at the time."

Louis van Gaal had also made attempts for Thomas Muller and Neymar last summer but was unable to complete a deal on both counts, which is hurting them now in the business end of the season. The Red Devils are without a win in their last five games in all competitions, which has seen them slip off in the race for the title and also crash out of the group stages of the Champions League.

The Dutchman moved in for Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin instead, with neither performing to the peak of their potential thus far this season. Anthony Martial was a shrewd investment, with the former Monaco man bombing into the league with impressive performances in his opening few games.

Van Gaal may be forced to delve into the market yet again in January, given the injury crisis they find themselves in, especially at left-back where Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo are both out for a considerable period of time. Antonio Valencia, another option at full-back, is also set to miss the majority of the season after undergoing a surgery on his foot.