10 Biggest Premier League Transfers That Nearly Happened

Following Sheikh Mansour's takeover of the club in 2008, Manchester City were looking to make a statement of intent to the footballing world. They began by hijacking Chelsea's move for Robinho, and looked to flex their financial muscles further in January 2009 by pursuing AC Milan superstar and former World Player of the Year, Kaka.

Revelling in their newfound prosperity, City made it clear that they would be willing to pay a world record transfer fee in excess of £90 million to secure to the Brazilian playmaker's services. Kaka's wages would have skyrocketed to a reported half a million pounds per week.

However, Kaka resisted the temptation to move to England. He remained in Milan for the remainder of the season, at which point he moved to Real Madrid for roughly £56 million.

At the time, missing out on Kaka was a disappointing blow for Man City. In retrospect, Kaka's injury ravaged years at Real Madrid suggest the transfer would have been an expensive mistake.