Nani was offered to Middlesbrough for £3.5m before £17m Man United switch

Middlesbrough rejected the chance to sign Nani for £3.5million before he signed for Manchester United.Football agent Barry Silkman has revealed that Boro could have signed the winger eight months before he went to Old Trafford.Silkman offered the Sporting Lisbon winger to then Boro boss Gareth Southgate, but he turned down the proposal. Nani: In action for United during their Premier League clash with Wolves earlier this monthNani then signed for United the following summer, for a fee believed to be in the region of £17m.Southgate: Turned down the chance to sign NaniSilkman told Sport.co.uk: 'Recently, the biggest one I have missed outon, I saw a player in Portugal a few years ago called Nani.'I tried to do a deal with Middlesbrough who I was very close to at the time; I did a lot of deals when Steve McClaren was manager.'I offered Nani to Middlesbrough and Gareth Southgate didn't fancy him. He was £3.5million.''He went to Manchester United for £17m and it was only eight or nine months later, that's all it was.'Manchester United's chief executive David Gill actually phoned Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb to ask him if that story was true! And Keith Lamb said yeah it is.'Nani has struggled badly at times while at United, but has improved greatly in recent months.He was brilliant during United's 3-1 victory over fellow title chasers Arsenal in January Watch us win every game left this season, warns United veteran ScholesRooney has emerged as world-class talent we knew he was, says ParkMANCHESTER UNITED FC

Source: Daily_Mail