Manchester United have missed out on the signature of Alassane Tambe after he opted to sign a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.
The 17-year-old defender is highly regarded in the French capital and the club have revealed that United boss Sir Alex Ferguson tried to snap up the young stopper.
PSG are delighted to have finalised a three-year contract with Tambe, who will continue his development in his homeland.
"It's important for the club to sign Alassane because he's a young guy who is very talented," general manager Phillipe Boindrieux told PSG's official website.
"He may develop at right back or as a central defender.
"He was born in 1992 and has been at PSG since 2002, thus doing all of his training at the club.
"Several major European clubs like Manchester United were interested in him.
"So we are very pleased he's signed as a professional.
"Our objective is now to move forward so he can become a major player in the first team."
Tambe is a regular in the France Under-17 team and played in last month's European Championship.