Agent: Axel Witsel Rejected Manchester United Transfer for Borussia Dortmund

The agent of Axel Witsel has said the Belgium midfielder turned down a transfer to Manchester United in favour of Borussia Dortmund this summer. 

Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws (h/t Sky Sports), representative Paul Stefani said he advised Witsel against joining the Red Devils over fears he would be crowded out:

"There were other candidates. Manchester United wanted him, Napoli too. But I told Axel: 'At Dortmund you are the No. 1, at Manchester you are one of the many...and at Napoli too'.

"I know from a very good source that Mourinho said he wanted Witsel, but not in the first place.

"N'Golo Kante topped his list. Eventually Axel said: 'Do me a favour and finish it as quickly as possible because I really want to go to Dortmund.'"

The official Bundesliga website confirmed on Tuesday that Witsel had agreed a four-year contract with Dortmund and would join from Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Quanjian after 18 months in China:

It's a particularly gutting blow for United to learn Dortmund have signed Witsel for only €20 million (£18 million), which Stefani explained was as a result of some shrewd negotiating:

"I explained to them that the Portuguese lawyer of Witsel has negotiated a buyout clause of €20 million with Tianjin. That sounded like music to them, because they thought that Tianjin would ask for an amount of around €60 million for Axel. When the transfer later started rolling, the Chinese still tried to get out of that buyout clause, but it was conclusive."

Central midfield is an area United already addressed by signing Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk this summer, with Witsel's Belgian compatriot Marouane Fellaini one of those waiting to bolster the Reds' ranks.

Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera and Scott McTominay are also vying for a place in Jose Mourinho's midfield, suggesting Stefani might have been right in his fears. Although writer Chris Winterburn recently hinted at some indecision in their engine room:

Witsel will finally feature in one of Europe's elite leagues after previously starring at Benfica and Zenit St. Petersburg. He was also a part of the Belgium team that came third at the World Cup in Russia this summer.

Perhaps United have a better chance at silverware given their resources, but Witsel saw value in a move to the Westfalenstadion, where he's much more likely to garner a prominent role in Lucien Favre's team. BVB Buzz provided quotes from Witsel upon announcing his transfer to Germany:

The 29-year-old could prove to be a value signing, while United will be left to ponder another attempted target who won't be on his way to Old Trafford.

He's not the only star player to spurn the Red Devils in recent days. Sky Sports reported Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng didn't want to join the club as he felt they couldn't win the UEFA Champions League this season.