Every summer window leaves a trail of near-misses, and BBC Sport has taken a nostalgic look back at Premier League deals that were reportedly agreed in principle, whispered about for weeks, or even seemingly done — only to collapse before pen touched paper.
According to the BBC's report, several clubs came agonisingly close to landing genuine star names, with negotiations reaching advanced stages before falling apart for various reasons, leaving fans to wonder what might have been had those signings gone through.
The piece serves as a reminder that transfer speculation, however strong, doesn't always translate into reality — medicals get cancelled, players change their minds, and last-gasp hijacks happen more often than supporters would like.
While specific names and full details of each collapsed deal are explored in BBC Sport's feature, the broader takeaway is clear: the Premier League's transfer history is as much about the deals that never happened as the ones that did, and clubs across the division have their own tales of the one that got away.