A bizarre sequence of events saw Manchester United miss out on one sought-after transfer target after 'impostors' attempted to hijack the deal with farcical demands
David de Gea, Juan Mata and Ander Herrera of Manchester United celebrate after The Emirates FA Cup final match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace
Ander Herrera was initially set to join Manchester United in 2013 before a trio of 'impostors' caused the deal to collapse
(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
The Ander Herrera transfer saga of 2013 was a unique situation that saw Manchester United miss their target for the strangest of reasons. The Red Devils were known to be in pursuit of the former Spain midfielder when three agents sought to hijack the transfer.
David Moyes, who was United manager at the time, said the deal collapsed due to Athletic Bilbao's extortionate demands over the fee. However, fans could hardly believe their eyes when reports emerged suggesting the move was actually off because 'impostors' claiming to act on United's behalf had arrived at Athletic's offices offering to pay his buyout clause on deadline day.
The details were like something out of a Hollywood script rather than transfer negotiations. So many will have been even more shocked to hear Herrera himself confirm that truly was the reason his move to Old Trafford never materialised 12 years ago.
"I didn't even know them," the 35-year-old said on the UTD Podcast in 2022. "I know my lawyers and I know my agent. It is the same agent as when I was 18. They [hoaxers] were trying to make easy money – I don't know how.
"I think they wanted to be there if the negotiation was successful, they wanted everyone to think that they were the ones who did it and, maybe after that, they can have more players or more negotiations.
"But I didn't even know them, honestly. It was funny because some of my friends say, 'Your lawyers are in La Liga and they are going to pay the money,' and I said, 'No, they are not my lawyers. I do not know them.'"
Louis van Gaal manager of Manchester United celebrates victory with Ander Herrera
Louis van Gaal successfully got Herrera to Old Trafford in 2014
La Liga sources appeared eager to downplay the 'impostor' aspect of the storyline at the time, insisting the three lawyers, Rodrigo Garcia Lucas, Alvaro Reig Gurrea and Guillermo Gutierrez, were indeed working for United. Moyes added more intrigue when the Scot admitted that the collapse was due to the club feeling "the buyout was the wrong valuation."
After missing out on Herrera, United instead rushed through a £27.5m deadline-day deal for Marouane Fellaini from Everton.
The Herrera debacle went down as one of the more obscure transfer failures witnessed in modern times as United endured a slow summer of business under Moyes. There was a sentiment United were under-prepared in navigating the complexities of Spanish football's transfer system at such a late juncture in the window.
Lucas, Gurrea and Gutierrez were the same three lawyers responsible for orchestrating Javi Martinez's blockbuster move to Bayern Munich in 2012. However, while that deal had been drawn up over the course of a month, they were attempting to execute Herrera's 2013 transfer in a matter of days (at most).
Ander Herrera #21 of CA Boca Juniors looks on during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Herrera is now playing for Boca Juniors(Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
Herrera, now playing for Argentinian giants Boca Juniors, moved to Manchester the following year after Louis van Gaal replaced Moyes at the helm. And United facilitated the move by transferring funds so the midfielder could trigger his own buyout clause.
The Basque icon made 189 appearances for United, the same number of outings he managed for Athletic across two separate stints. He won the Europa League, an FA Cup and one League Cup during his time in England before joining Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2019.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.