Manchester City have pulled out of the race for Declan Rice's signature and, as a result, it looks as if the West Ham captain will be heading to Arsenal this summer.
The Gunners have made no secret of their intense interest and their third bid for the England international looks to have done the trick. Thought to be worth a British record fee of £100million plus £5m in add-ons, the Hammers are happy with the amount but do still have some concerns over the structure of the bid.
City's endless wealth is well-documented, but it is now clear that they were not willing to hit the £100m mark for Rice. This is not the first time Pep Guardiola's side have walked away from a deal the moment they deem their own valuation has been surpassed.
With that in mind, Mirror Football has looked at eight other players who nearly joined City only to fall spectacularly short at the club they eventually signed for.
Cristiano Ronaldo
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Amid all the excitement and nostalgia that greeted Ronaldo's return to Manchester United, it seemed as if the Old Trafford faithful opted to ignore just how close he was to joining their local rivals.
In the end, that was barely a footnote in the story of Ronaldo's second spell at United. It was gazumped as a talking point by things like storming down the tunnel while the game is still going on, or holding interviews publicly bashing everyone from the manager to the board.
He is now leading the line for Saudi Arabian outfit Al Nassr - City dodged quite the Bullet.
Marc Cucurella
City were the first of two Premier League sides to be linked with the then-Brighton left-back.
The Spaniard's stock was at an all-time high when City and Chelsea were battling it out for his signature, but it was the Blues who would win that race with a £56m offer that included £7m worth of add-ons.
After a nightmare debut season at Stamford Bridge that saw Cucurella present for three different managers, Chelsea may be wishing they hadn't beaten City to his signing.
Harry Maguire
Maguire's time at United has been such a nightmare littered with errors it is easy to forget that City were even interested in him.
Guardiola even publicly confessed that City were priced out of a move for the England international.
"Yeah. Maguire is an excellent, top-class player," he explained. "We were interested, but we could not afford it. United afford it. He's an excellent player, national team too, he had an incredible World Cup.
"He has all the qualities. Congratulations to United for this signature."
Four years on, United fans may dispute Guardiola's assessment of their current club captain.
Paul Pogba
Undoubtedly one of the most divisive players of the modern era, Pogba's talent is undeniable - even City think so.
Those at the top of the Etihad hierarchy wanted him before his 2016 return to Old Trafford and again mid-way through his second spell.
That may seem bizarre, given Pogba was both hampered by persistent fitness issues and incredibly inconsistent when on the pitch. However, Guardiola knows a fine player when he sees one.
The City boss couldn't get his hands on him however and a painfully underwhelming six-year stint at Old Trafford followed. Having cost the Red Devils £90m, Pogba ended up going back to Juventus for free last year.
Romelu Lukaku
City's aim to sign Lukaku isn't as well-documented as some of their other transfer sagas, but the Belgian has shed light on their efforts.
"After the first year, I turned down an offer from Manchester City that was higher than Chelsea’s current one, because I didn’t want to," he said.
"It was not the time, it was the first year, I wanted to do something good for Inter because they saved my career. I was in a deep hole at Manchester United, things weren't going well. I was a big investment for Inter and we did great things together."
His past United ties may have made it difficult for him at the Etihad and as a result, he opted to join Chelsea.
Just weeks after his move he conducted a bombshell interview where he seemed to suggest he regretted his return to Stamford Bridge and was soon sent out on loan back to Inter Milan.
Timo Werner
Another forward who turned down the chance to play for City and instead opt for the bright lights of the Bridge, Guardiola even phoned Werner trying to convince him to leave Leipzig for the Etihad.
The Germany international may look back on that decision with huge regret, as Werner was largely the subject of ridicule during his time at Chelsea due to his profligate finishing.
Similarly to Lukaku, Werner ended up going back to the club he left after failing to make the grade at Chelsea.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Koulibaly himself has admitted that he was at one stage 'certain' he would join City, but Napoli's £72m asking price deterred Guardiola.
City themselves even accidentally offered fans the chance to "Win a signed Kalidou Koulibaly shirt," on their website when they unveiled Ruben Dias.
Instead, the Senegal international also joined Chelsea, lasting just one error-filled season before joining Saudi outfit Al Hilal.
Alexis Sanchez
City's Amazon 'All or Nothing' docu-series showed just how interested they were in prying Sanchez away from Arsenal in the summer of 2017.
However, while the reasons behind his failed Etihad switch are unclear, with both parties involved blaming each other, Sanchez ended up at Old Trafford just four months later.
The Chilean admitted himself he wanted to return to Arsenal after just one training session a United, which tells you everything you need to know regarding his time in Manchester.
Five goals in a season-and-a-half saw Sanchez join Inter Milan on loan in 2019, who he eventually joined on a permanent basis the following summer.
