Manchester United fans will have been left confused by today's transfer news that Barcelona winger Pedro will be signing for Chelsea, after it seemed for the past month that deal to bring the Spaniard to Old Trafford was imminent.
But this isn't the first time this has happened, and we at Balls.ie have looked at some of the previous instances which have occurred since Roman Abramovic took over as the owner of Chelsea.
Some were blessings in disguise, others came back to haunt them, but here are 7 transfer targets who chose Chelsea over Manchester United.
2004 - Arjen Robben - PSV Eindhoven
Alex Ferguson was a big admirer of young Dutch winger Arjen Robben as he tore the Eredivisie apart for PSV Eindhoven, where he had previously purchased Jaap Stam and Ruud Van Nistelrooy from. The next player expected to switch Eindhoven for Manchester was Robben, but Chelsea came in and stole him away and he was an immediate success.
While not quite the player he is for Bayern today, Robben was a big player for Chelsea, and Fergie would surely have loved to have had him at Old Trafford.
2005 - John Obi Mikel - Lyn Fotball
This is one that Fergie was probably very happy to wash his hands of as in one of the messiest transfer deals in recent history, Mikel had agreed to join United and even posed with the shirt, but Chelsea swooped and lured him to London instead.
Rumours of kidnapping and brainwashing had been thrown about, and Chelsea in the end had to pay Manchester United around £16m in compensation which still makes United fans smile to this day, as Mikel was a bit crap and never held down a first team place.
2005 - Michael Essien - Lyon
Manchester United had the chance to sign Michael Essien as a youngster on trial, but after passing on the opportunity the club were willing to pay for their mistake and fork out to bring Essien to Old Trafford after dominant performances for Lyon in the Champions League.
Instead, Chelsea again lured the player to England's capital city by stumping up a huge fee at the time of £24.4m.
2006 - Michael Ballack - Bayern Munich
Chelsea really turned heads in the summer of 2006 when they agreed deals for International superstars Michael Ballack and Andreiy Shevchenko. While the Ukrainian was a flop, Ballack was an important player for the Blues as they won two league titles and three FA Cups with him in the side.
Ballack later revealed that he turned down Manchester United as the club wasn't performing well in Europe. Manchester United then went on to defeat Chelsea, and Ballack, in the 2008 Champions League Final.
2012 - Eden Hazard - Lille
One of the more ridiculous transfer sagas in recent memory, the tug-of-war between Chelsea and Manchester United was so close that Hazard announced a date that he would publicly announce his new destination, LeBron James style. A French TV show secured an exclusive interview with Hazard where he confirmed the colour he would be wearing next season was blue.
Hazard was last year voted PFA Player Of The Year, and has emerged as one of the best talents in Europe. A case of what might have been for United fans.
2014 - Cesc Fabregas - Barcelona
David Moyes first transfer window in charge of Manchester United was a disaster. United became the laughing stock of the transfer window as bid were rejected left right and centre, and available players like Cesc Fabregas, despite being a clear player of need for United's struggling midfield.
Manchester United were reported to have submitted several bids which were rejected before Chelsea agreed a deal.
2015 - Pedro - Barcelona
On Tuesday, August 18th 2015, it seemed a matter of time before Pedro was a Manchester United player. Personal terms were apparently agreed, it was just a matter of time before a fee was agreed. On Wednesday, August 19th 2015, Pedro was flying to London for a Chelsea medical.
We've since heard that Van Gaal was having second thoughts about Pedro, and that Cesc Fabregas' wife told Pedro's wife how great London was after Mourinho reacted to Chelsea's 0-3 defeat to Manchester City, but what actually transpired is not yet clear.
Chelsea have gotten stronger in a position of questionable weakness, and have again taken a player from under Manchester United's nose in the process.
