10 Most Shocking Hijacked Transfer Deals In Football History

Paul Gascoigne is one of the most highly regarded English players of all time. And, although he has fallen on hard times since leaving the game, he will always be viewed as a legend.

Sir Alex Ferguson made Gazza a target while he was at Newcastle United back in 1988 and left for holiday believing a deal was all wrapped up. With the midfielder on the verge of handing the club his signature, Tottenham phoned in with an offer, promising to buy Gascoigne's family a house. They also offered his sister a sunbed and vowed to get his father a brand new car.

A similar offer would be quite the laughable one in the present era as any youth player on a prominent club's books makes enough money to get pretty much anything he wants. But in 1988, such commodities wielded some pull and the player readily accepted.

Gazza went on to dazzle at White Hart Lane for the next four years. Fergie, meanwhile, was simply left to rue his untimely vacation. Gascoigne has confirmed the above, recalling the saga in a 2015 interview (H/T the Independent)