Arjen Robben told FourFourTwo that he had dinner with Sir Alex Ferguson and was prepared to sign for Manchester United before Chelsea moved to sign him in 2004.
One of the most coveted young players in Europe while at PSV Eindhoven, Robben found himself the subject of interest from two of England's top clubs as Chelsea sought to use Roman Abramovich's wealth to challenge United's dominance.
United were in pole position to sign Robben after a productive meeting with Ferguson, but the Netherlands international, now at Bayern Munich, said that he agreed a £12 million move to Stamford Bridge because they never followed up their interest.
"I had a very good conversation with [Ferguson] over dinner in Manchester and we spoke about football and life," Robben said. "I also went and had a good look around the training ground and everything was good.
"But after I went back to PSV, nothing happened. There was no real contact and the deal didn't happen. PSV were also negotiating with Chelsea at that time, so maybe they offered PSV more money? I don't really know.
"I spoke to Chelsea and I liked their plans. We had one meeting and everything was done pretty quickly. Had Manchester United offered me a deal straight after I met them, I would have signed there, but it didn't happen and I've got no regrets."
Robben went on to win five trophies in three seasons at Chelsea, including two Premier League titles, and insisted that he enjoyed the experience of working under Jose Mourinho even though the manager ultimately approved Robben's sale to Real Madrid for around £24m in 2007.
"[Mourinho] was really demanding and intense, but at that age, I think it was good for me and my football development," Robben said. "I am a student and someone who wants to improve and work hard, so I think our personalities were a good fit. Mourinho was a good man-manager and he gave me a lot of confidence.
"For a manager, it's difficult if a player is injured because you can't count on him, so I could understand it a little bit. But it's worse for a player -- you want to be enjoying your football. Jose is a winner and wants strong players. I felt so much confidence from him when I was fit, but injuries created a bit of a struggle."