Jose Mourinho reportedly wanted to bring Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles to Manchester United before he was sacked as head coach in December.
Mourinho fought hard to sign a new centre-back in last summer's transfer window, but the Portuguese was ultimately frustrated in his pursuit of a number of targets.
United were again strongly linked with moves for a host of defenders in the latter stages of 2018, although the change in management took the focus away from the transfer window.
According to ESPN, one of the players on Mourinho's wishlist was Newcastle's Lascelles, who has made 22 Premier League appearances for the Magpies during the 2018-19 campaign.
On Tuesday, United suffered their first defeat since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge, with Paris Saint-Germain recording a 2-0 win in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie.
The Red Devils are next in action away to Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday night.
Matt Law
