Manchester United's Top 10 Players Signed from Rival Big Six Clubs

Manchester United have been strongly linked with Chelsea star midfielder, Mason Mount, but several of their bids have been rejected.

The Red Devils are looking to improve their squad, which finished third in the 2022/23 Premier League season, and Mount could be the first signing.

The 20-time Premier League champions have always taken some top talent from their direct rivals.

It is rare to see them do business with arch-rivals, Liverpool and Manchester City, but they've sold and signed players from Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Most big six teams do business among themselves, but it is rare to see arch-rivals like Arsenal and Spurs do transfer business together.

However, the Gunners' latest signing is Kai Havertz from Chelsea. They have also acquired a few players from Manchester City.

Most of United's signings from the top six rivals have not always worked out. Moreover, they've always paid exorbitant prices and wages for these signings.

For that reason, Sports Brief looks at their last 9 signings from the big six rivals.

Man Utd big 6 signings

Sanchez joined Jose Mourinho's United from Arsenal in 2018 in a deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan head in the opposite direction. The Chilean joined the club with high expectations, but it was a tortuous spell.

He managed just five goals in 45 appearances before being shipped to Inter Milan in 2020. The deal was a disaster for United, who had to pay him around £560,000 per week with add-ons included, per the Athletic, and Sanchez is probably is United's worst-ever signing.

United paid Chelsea £40mil to acquire the services of the Serbian midfielder in 2017. He spent five years at Old Trafford, making 189 appearances. He had a phenomenal debut season but fell off in the following campaigns, proving he was bought just a few years too late.

The Red Devils signed Chelsea's players of the year back-to-back, with Mata joining in January 2014 for £37.1mil. He was coached by David Moyes, who had taken over from the great Sir Alex Ferguson, in what was a dreadful summer transfer window where he signed only one player: Marouane Fellaini from Everton.

After a terrible start to the season, Moyes signed Mata, who was not able to replicate his Chelsea form. He made 285 appearances and scored 51 goals, providing 47 assists as well.

Van Persie is arguably United's best signing from a top-six side. Ferguson and the Red Devils lost the 2011/12 Premier League title on goal difference to Man City. They responded by signing Van Persie from Arsenal for £24mil.

The Dutchman scored 26 goals which won them the title, a perfect send-off for the legendary manager. He struggled after Ferguson's exit, but he was worth every penny.

United signed Veseli from arch-rivals, Man City, in 2012. It was a rare occasion for the Red Devils to sign a player from their cross-town rivals, and the Swiss player would not make a single first-team appearance for them. He played 23 times for the under-23 side before leaving the club in 2014.

Berbatov joined United in 2008 and went on to have a decent four-year spell at the club. He scored 56 goals in 149 appearances in all competitions, per TransferMarkt.

He won the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2010/11 season after scoring 20 goals, sharing the award with Man City's Carlos Tevez. The Bulgarian was bizarrely left out of the 2011 Champions League finals squad.

Carrick was the piece that made United bounce back, after failing to win the league for three years in a row from 2004 to 2006. After his signing, they went on the win three straight titles and the Champions League in 2008.

He wasn't the flashiest player, but his performances in midfield made everything tick. Carrick made 464 appearances and won five Premier League titles with United.

Ferguson signed 31-year-old Sheringham from Tottenham in 1997. Although he scored some important goals for the club, the one many football fans remember is his equaliser and assist for Ole Gunner Solskjaer's iconic winner in the dying seconds of the game. His performance alone in that game makes him a legend at the club.

The goalkeeper made a contentious switch from Man City to their local rivals, despite making over 150 appearances for the Citizens. He joined United in 1996, hoping to become Peter Schmeichel's backup.

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Coton failed to make a single appearance and lasted for only six months. He returned to Old Trafford in 2020 to become the club's Chief Goalkeeping Scout.

Chelsea reject Man United bid

Sports Brief also reported on Chelsea rejecting a third £55mil bid from United for Mount, who has refused to commit his future at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are reportedly willing to meet with the Red Devils to end the stalemate, but are hopeful United will budge since the midfielder wants to move.