Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan has revealed that he almost bought Manchester United during the 1980s.
The 76-year-old shook hands on a deal to purchase a majority stake in the Old Trafford club from former United chairman Martin Edwards.
However, Whelan then had a change of heart following a conversation with his wife.
"I told my wife I had just been to a meeting where I'd bought Manchester United, the biggest football club in the world, for £11.5m," Whelan told The Mirror.
"But instead of telling me I'd done a great piece of business, she asked, 'Do you think all your customers who support other clubs will still shop at JJB if you own Man United?' and I said, 'Oh, I hadn't thought of that.'
"It dawned on me that Liverpool fans and others might turn their backs on my shops because of the rivalry with United."
Six months after Whelan's decision to pull out of the deal, United won their first trophy under the stewardship of manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Red Devils then went on to lift a further 37 pieces of silverware during Ferguson's illustrious reign.
Whelan admits that he now regrets his decision not to buy United.
"Do I regret pulling out of the United deal financially? Yes, of course," he added. "I was stupid – I was sitting on a gold mine, but I got cold feet.
"I had great ideas for the club. I was going to build a superbowl - with an exhibition hall, shopping mall, offices, swimming pool and health club - called the Big Red Dome.
"There was going to be a huge red searchlight on top, so you could see it from all over Manchester. I had all the plans drawn up, it would have been absolutely magnificent."
Whelan bought Wigan in February 1995, when the Latics were competing in the fourth tier of English football.
Robert Summerscales
