9 football players whose transfers failed in the most bizarre ways at the last second in recent years

1. David De Gea

A transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid (2015) fell through at the last second – because a fax machine at Real Madrid malfunctioned and the necessary documents were not received by the Spanish league in time.

2. Nabil Fekir

In the summer of 2018, a move from Olympique Lyon to Liverpool was practically complete—including photos in a Liverpool shirt. Then the deal collapsed after the alleged knee problem. Fekir later refuted medical concerns, citing problems with his agent as the cause.

3. Fabio Carvalho

A transfer from Fulham to Liverpool (January 2022) failed, although Carvalho had already passed the medical: Because Fulham is not part of the Premier League, there was no deal sheet rule - the documents could not be completed in time.

4. João Palhinha

The expected transfer from Fulham to Bayern Munich (summer 2023) fell through: the player had already taken photos in the Bayern jersey, had cleared the medical – but the German transfer deadline closed before the documents were complete.

5. Duncan McGuire

A loan move from Orlando City to Blackburn Rovers (January 2024) failed due to an administrative glitch: Blackburn accidentally pressed "Save" instead of "Submit" when submitting the transfer to the EFL system – the transfer was rejected.

6. Diafra Sakho

In the 2017 deadline-day season, Sakho wanted to leave West Ham. He flew to France and even completed a medical, but instead flew to the racetrack to watch his own horse race. The transfer never materialized.

7. Peter Odemwingie

In January 2013, Odemwingie traveled from West Brom to QPR on his own initiative, hoping to secure a transfer. The clubs were unable to reach a deal, and QPR banned him from the stadium. He returned frustrated.

8. D’Mani Mellor

A planned loan transfer from Manchester United to Crawley Town in January 2022 failed due to a massive bureaucratic error: faulty documents prevented the last-minute transfer.

9. Leroy Fer

In January 2019, a transfer from Swansea to Aston Villa was within reach – but Villa had final doubts about Fer's hamstring. Fer turned down the offer and later signed with Feyenoord.