Rummenigge: Bayern Munich Manchester United Sanches

Omnisports

September 14, 2016 1:13 AM

Renato Sanches would have been a Manchester United player now had Bayern Munich not stepped in, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes

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Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has claimed the uncertainty over who would be in charge of Manchester United this campaign allowed the Bundesliga champions to hijack their deal for Renato Sanches.

The former Benfica youngster was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford last season, but the process of replacing Louis van Gaal meant United did little activity in the transfer market until Jose Mourinho was appointed.

That handed Bayern the initiative and the Portugal international was unveiled by the Bundesliga champions in May.

"Renato had a concrete offer from Manchester United and we knew about that," Rummenigge told Sport Bild.

"But I heard on the eve of our Champions League semi-final game at Atletico Madrid that they were unable to close the deal because they did not have a new manager yet.

"We immediately made our move then. We invited Benfica's president and Sanches' agent to Madrid. The mood after the game was obviously not very good, but we reached an agreement over a transfer and shook on it that night."

And Rummenigge reiterated his view that bringing the 19-year-old in after Euro 2016 would have been impossible given his displays in France..

"He would definitely not have come to Bayern had we only made a move after Euro 2016," Rummenigge added.

"His agent texted me after his goal in the quarter-final against Poland 'You can be really happy doing the business really early'."

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