Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Emmanuel Adebayor tried to drum up interest from Manchester United and Chelsea before completing his £25 million switch to Manchester City.
The Togo star linked up with City on their recent tour to South Africa after becoming the latest big name to join the Eastlands revolution.
However, there was a delay before Adebayor completed his move from Arsenal, and, according to Ferguson, that was to allow the striker time to see if there was an alternative.
"When someone offers you that kind of money, it is a big attraction," Ferguson said.
"At the last minute, from what I can gather, either Emmanuel Adebayor or his agent phoned us after they had agreed a deal with City and then did the same with Chelsea. He was desperate to get to either Chelsea or us."
The United boss is clearly unimpressed by City and their recent spending spree, which included the acquisition of Carlos Tevez.
"They are a small club with a small mentality.
"They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff."
City may have irritated Ferguson but he does not see them as a title threat just yet.