10 times Liverpool and Man Utd rivalled each other for major signings – and who won

Manchester United and Liverpool are set to lock horns at Old Trafford on Sunday, renewing one of English football’s bitterest and most historic rivalries.

The two north-west giants have faced off 241 times in their respective histories and the results are remarkably well matched. United have come out on top 91 times, while Liverpool have recorded 81 victories, with 69 clashes ending all even.

They are the country’s two most successful clubs when it comes to top-flight titles won, too – United lead the way with 20, a mark Liverpool can equal this season if they hang on to the Premier League top spot they currently occupy.

But it is not only on the pitch that the two sides have done battle. Here are 10 examples of United and Liverpool pipping each other to signings.

Cody Gakpo

United appeared to have every advantage in the race to sign Gakpo from PSV ahead of the 2023 January transfer window.

The versatile Dutch forward – who was highly sought after thanks to a record of 34 goals and 32 assists over the previous 18 months – was coached at PSV by Ruud van Nistelrooy and the former United striker spoke to Gakpo about an Old Trafford switch. And the Red Devils would have had an intimate knowledge of his talents due to the fact manager Erik ten Hag had coached against him in the Eredivisie.

But despite reported interest from Old Trafford, Liverpool pounced, agreeing a £35 million deal days before the transfer window opened.

Jaap Stam

Liverpool haven’t had it all their way when trying to fend off United’s interest in mutual targets from the Netherlands, though.

In the summer of 1998, the Reds held talks with another PSV standout. But Stam instead elected to accept United’s rival offer as Alex Ferguson – pre-knighthood – made the powerful centre-back the world’s most expensive defender, wrapping up a £10.6 million deal before the Dutchman took part in that summer’s World Cup.

After a shaky first few weeks, Stam settled at United, becoming one of their key players in a Treble-winning season and three successive Premier League titles.

Sadio Mane

Eyebrows were raised when, in 2016, it emerged that United had identified Southampton’s Mane as a top transfer target. After blockbuster deals for the likes of Angel di Maria, Juan Mata and Radamel Falcao, the Senegalese was deemed to be an underwhelming potential acquisition.

But United’s interest was real and, with hindsight, extremely well placed.

“I was really, really close because I even met up with them [United],” Mane told The Mirror in 2019.

“So I was coming, I was there and I spoke with the boss who was there before [Louis van Gaal].

“They made an offer, but in the same week, Klopp called me.”

Darwin Nunez

After scoring 34 goals from 41 appearances for Benfica in the 2021-22 season, Nunez was reportedly one of Ten Hag’s top summer transfer targets.

But once again, the allure of playing for Klopp – and the promise of Champions League football at Anfield – was said to be a decisive factor in the Merseysiders pipping their rivals to secure a big-money deal.

Nunez joined Liverpool in a deal worth £64 million – potentially rising to £85 million with add-ons – and, after a mixed first campaign, is now firing the Reds’ title push, with 18 all-competitions goals this term.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Despite missing out on Nunez, United can claim to have the upper hand over Liverpool in the two sides’ battles for dynamic young attackers signed from Portugal.

Former Reds boss Gerard Houllier admitted that he was keen to sign a teenage Ronaldo from Sporting CP in the early 2000s, but the wonderkid winger’s wage demands were too high for the Anfield deal-brokers at the time.

United had no such qualms. After Ronaldo spent a 2003 pre-season friendly tying John O’Shea in knots, Ferguson splashed £12.24 million to bring the 18-year-old to Old Trafford. He turned out to be pretty decent, if memory serves.

Fabinho

United signed Martial from Monaco in 2015 and they were later rumoured to be tracking another star form the Monegasque club in Fabinho.

The Brazilian full-back-cum-defensive-midfielder was earning rave reviews for his performances in the middle third of Leonardo Jardim’s upstart, talent-packed young side and he appeared a fine fit to shore up United’s midfield.

But mere hours after losing the 2018 Champions League final to Real Madrid, Liverpool signalled their intent to improve and continue to challenge for the game’s biggest prizes when they announced a £40 million deal to sign Fabinho.

“I won’t deny there were a few conversations about my situation with Monaco,” the player later told FourFourTwo of United’s interest, “but there was never an official offer from United.”

Gerard Pique

The Spanish centre-back is best remembered for being a stalwart of one of the greatest club teams in football history during Guardiola’s time in charge of Barcelona, but Pique was a United player for four years between spells with his boyhood club.

The Red Devils poached Pique from the Catalan giants on a free transfer as a 17-year-old, before he had signed his first professional contract, fending off a late move from Liverpool to acquire the highly rated young defender.

The 102-Cap Spain international made just 23 senior appearances for United before re-joining Barca in 2008, where he would retain the Champions League he’d won in his final season with the Old Trafford club.

Harry Kewell

Ferguson was a long-time admirer of Kewell. And when the versatile Australian attacker became available for just £5 million following Leeds’ relegation to the second tier in 2004, the United boss made his move.

But Kewell, a lifelong Liverpool fan, reportedly turned down bigger financial packages on offer from United, Chelsea, AC Milan and Barcelona to sign for the Reds.

Although he never quite recaptured his best form at Anfield, Kewell was part of Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League triumph and made 139 appearances for the club before joining Galatasaray in 2008.

Thiago Alcantara

United’s interest in Thiago dated back as far as 2013. When the gifted playmaker was preparing to leave Barcelona in search of a bigger first-team role elsewhere, the Red Devils were front of the queue.

His eventual Old Trafford arrival was deemed such a foregone conclusion that, after he scored a hat-trick for Spain in the final of the European Under-20 Championship that summer, teammate David de Gea signed the match ball with the message: “See you in Manchester.”

But Pep Guardiola, newly in charge of Bayern Munich, made Thiago his primary transfer target and the midfielder opted to reunite with the former Barca boss in Bavaria, rather than joining David Moyes’ post-Ferguson project.

Seven year later, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was believed to be keen on a renewed approach for the classy pass-master, who was set to depart Bayern, only to be foiled when Klopp swooped in.

Jurgen Klopp

How different the last decade could have been for United had Ferguson succeeded in his mission to appoint his preferred successor.

In 2016, Klopp revealed that the legendary Old Trafford boss sounded him out about taking his place when the Scot retired in 2013.

“We spoke,” the Liverpool manager said. “We spoke not a lot but, for me, it was a lot. It was a big honour, the whole talk, to be honest. But I could not leave Dortmund.”

If, as appears increasingly likely, United move on from Ten Hag this summer, their next appointment will be the club’s sixth permanent manager since Ferguson.

Meanwhile, since arriving at Anfield two years after turning down Fergie’s overture, Klopp has captured six major trophies – and counting. In beating United to the signing of the iconic German manager, Liverpool recorded their most meaningful victory over their bitter rivals in recent memory.

READ MORE – Jurgen Klopp: Top 10 most expensive Liverpool signings and how they fared