The ownership situation at Manchester United has been a sore topic at Old Trafford for some time now, the Red Devils arguably held back from their full potential by the Glazers at the top of the hierarchy in Manchester.
It's not helped that success on the pitch has significantly dried up from a Manchester United perspective in recent years also – the Red Devils are without a Premier League title now since the 2012-13 campaign – the same season iconic manager and serial trophy winner Alex Ferguson departed the club.
Man United's dominance over the Premier League ending has hurt even more with the top-flight now routinely won by Manchester City, backed by money from the Middle East.
The Glazers have since considered putting the Red Devils up for sale, and a proposed takeover by Qatari billionaire Sheikh Jassim looked to be on the cards – the 64-year-old bidding £5bn for the football club.
Yet, the deal has fallen through with Jassim deciding to withdraw from the bidding. In the process, mammoth deals to bring in some of the world's best to Old Trafford may have also fallen by the wayside.
In particular, an outrageous bid for £130m-rated Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe now surely has no legs to stand on…
Kylian Mbappe transfer update
It's been widely reported for some time now that Mbappe could well be on the move from PSG in the near future, Real Madrid often the side rumoured to be after the World Cup-winning attacker.
Man United looked to be in the race for the Frenchman – who already has seven goals from seven in Ligue 1 this season for his current employers – but this now looks unlikely owing to Sheikh Jassim's bid for the club failing to get over the line.
It had even been reported by German outlet BILD, via TEAMtalk, that Mbappe would have been just one notable name on Jassim's extensive list of potential signings if he was to take over from the Glazers at Old Trafford.
Kingsley Coman and Eduardo Camavinga were allegedly also on the Qatari's mind to bring in and reshape Man United if he became owner of the Red Devils.
What is Kylian Mbappe's salary?
The major sticking point would have been Mbappe's colossal wage on top of the expensive transfer fee demanded to capture such a world-class talent, Mbappe is still only 24 years of age and at the peak of his powers.
At this moment in time with PSG, the superstar striker earns around £64m annually with the French titans per Capology.
Compare that astronomical amount of money to Man United's highest annual earner, PSG are operating in a completely different ballpark to Man United – Casemiro coming in as the Red Devil's highest earner annually, paid £18.2m per Capology.
Casemiro
£350k
Raphael Varane
£340k
Marcus Rashford
£300k
Jadon Sancho
£250k
Mason Mount
£250k
Data via Capology.
Will Kylian Mbappe sign for Man Utd?
Without the added investment from new mega-money owners, there's surely no chance Man United can compete and sign players of Mbappe's stature, even if they have been known to flex their financial muscles in recent years.
It just adds to more grumblings at Man United in recent times, the Red Devils stuttering in the Premier League at the time of writing in tenth spot after four defeats from eight.
Their performances on the Champions League stage haven't been any better either – losing to both Bayern Munich and Galatasaray, the latter humiliating as the Turkish away side mounted a comeback win.
There are fears, therefore, that Man United are losing their way. A once elite club under the celebrated years of Ferguson are now a team way off the pace in terms of on-the-pitch performance but also for attracting world-class talents through the door.
Mbappe would have been game-changing, but with Jassim withdrawing from the running, they will surely wave farewell to any chances of signing the global star.