Man Utd transfer target was shot in the head after agreeing contract to play for Sir Alex Ferguson

A player who Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to sign for Manchester United had his Old Trafford dream dashed by a horrible incident.

Back in 2007, Salvador Cabanas was named the Football of the Year for both Paraguay and South America.

As a result, it was reported that United boss Ferguson wanted to bring the forward to Old Trafford.

However, a tragedy in 2010 ended Cabanas' dream of playing for the Premier League giants.

As reported by talkSPORT, Cabanas was shot in the head in the bathrooms of the Bar Bar nightclub in Mexico City.

Miraculously, he survived and recalling the incident, he said: "I remember everything. He started to insult me and suddenly took out a gun. He pointed it at me and told me 'I am JJ, the most wanted drug dealer. And today is your last day because you're going to die. You're stealing from us, the Mexicans, and today is your last day'.

"I said, 'Why? I came here to work because I need the money'. He said, 'No, you're making too much money and you're taking it to Paraguay. We are in need and working for you'. After that, he shot me."

It has been suggested that the person who shot Cabanas was a notorious figure on the streets of Mexico City known as 'JJ' - Jose Jorge Balderas Garza.

He was said to be connected to Edgar 'Barbie' Valdez Villarreal, who was a feared hitman who took charge of Los Negros - the armed wing of the Beltran-Leyva drug trafficking cartel.

The report stated that Cabanas was left with impaired sight in his left eye and a weakened left side of his body.

Salvador Cabanas was close to joining Manchester United. Image: Getty

In an interview with Telefuturo, Cabanas revealed he was close to moving to United.

He said: "I had signed a pre-contract agreement for £1.3 million for a transfer to Europe. They told me my destination would be Manchester United.

"Club America doubled my salary and gave me one apartment in Acapulco and another in Cancun to try to keep me at the club."

After his move to Old Trafford failed to materialise, Cabanas stayed put in South America and made a return to football in 2012 before retiring in 2014.

He said: "Considering what had happened to me, and I came back - nobody would have imagined that."