Manchester United have been dealt a blow as it has emerged that one of the targets that they have been pursuing for months now won't be arriving at Old Trafford.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe targets change

Since his arrival at Manchester United at the turn of the year, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has promised change. Backroom alterations have been made, but he opted to keep Erik ten Hag in charge after two weeks of interviewing other candidates.

Now, he has urged patience, telling fans that it will take time to complete the changes at the Theatre of Dreams and have the club challenging for the Premier League once more. It will take 'two or three summer transfer windows to get to a better place', he explained in a recent interview.

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The Red Devils are now working on an agreement.

There have already been reports that almost all of the squad is up for sale this summer, while high-earning pair Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial have announced they will leave at the end of their contracts this summer. Casemiro is another player who seems set to depart, with Saudi Arabia interested in the Brazilian despite his tough end to the season in Manchester United red.

There is a desire to sign a defender too amid ongoing speculation around the future of Victor Lindelof, with the club having seen an opening offer for Jarrad Branthwaite turned down last week. Now, they have been dealt another blow.

Defender not moving to Old Trafford

This comes as Manchester United have been ruled out as a potential destination for OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo as a result of UEFA rules. Todibo, who has rebuilt his career in the south of France following a failed spell at Barcelona, appeared 30 times in Ligue 1 for Nice last season.

The Frenchman still has three years left to run on his £20,000 a week deal in Nice, but has been linked with a move away in recent months amid interest from the Premier League.

Manchester United were touted as a potential destination in a deal that seemed easy to do given INEOS' ownership of both the Red Devils and OGC Nice. However, Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that a deal is "currently off" and now "highly unlikely" because of UEFA rules, despite talks between all parties having been "advanced" for "months".

So what is this UEFA rule? Essentially, because both Nice and Manchester United are in the same European competition next season and run by the same owners, player trading between them is not permitted, something that Ratcliffe himself has since confirmed.

“They’ve said we can sell him to another Premiership club, but we can’t sell to Manchester United,” the United chief said in an interview with Bloomberg. “But that’s not fair on the player and I don’t see what that achieves".

That news also rules the Red Devils out of a move for Todibo's team mate and one-time rumoured target Khephren Thuram, who was thought to be of interest to the Red Devils and available for around £20m.

It comes as a blow to the Red Devils, though it does beg the question why they negotiated for months with the defender when the rule was already in place.