If Jose Mourinho is to be believed, the only reason that Renato Sanches didn't join Manchester United last summer is because The Special One arrived too late.

The Portuguese midfielder shot to fame last summer after several explosive performances at the heart of Portugal's Euro 2016 winning team. Mourinho's hopes of signing him were scuppered long before the tournament kicked off, however.

Sanches had already joined Bayern Munich for £31million in May, before his compatriot had fully taken over the reins at United. Yet if Bayern scored a victory in the transfer market back then, it may yet prove to be a pyrrhic one.

Manchester United could look to add Renato Sanches to their midfield options this summer

Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti previously said the club would not allow Sanches to leave

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is a keen admirer of Sanches' talents and may enquire

After all the hype, all the hazy excitement of a the silly season, Sanches' first season at Bayern was a sobering affair. The young midfielder played just 615 minutes of Bundesliga football, and failed to make an impact in any of his 17 appearances.

Now, Mourinho and United have reason to get their hopes up again, as the Bayern exit door appears to have been blown wide open for Sanches.

Earlier this week, Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge gave the clearest indication yet that Sanches would be leaving Munich this summer.

'He is a player who needs to play regularly, so if we feel he is not going to get enough game time, then we will loan him out, or maybe even sell him,' Rummenigge told assembled reporters.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has taken the unusual step of publicly naming his price for Sanches

Sanches has cut a frustrated figure at times during his first year with the Bundesliga club

SANCHES' STATS AT BAYERN MUNICH Appearances - 17 | Goals - 0 Chances created - 4 Shot accuracy - 60 per cent *All stats from Bundesliga only* Advertisement

'Last season, particularly after the winter break, he didn't get enough appearances. That wasn't because of the coach, it was because of (Sanches) himself.'

'I can confirm that AC Milan have got in touch with us, but I have the impression that they are not able to meet our financial demands,' he continued.

Tuttomercatoweb later quoted Rummenigge as putting this figure at £43m. If that is indeed the amount at which Bayern would be willing to sell, then United may pounce.

The figure is considerably less than they would pay for Tottenham's Eric Dier, and Mourinho clearly feels that he could have got more from Sanches than Bayern have managed to get.

It may not, however, be as simple as just stumping up the cash. Rummenigge was careful to put the emphasis on a potential loan deal, and Bayern will surely be reluctant to cut all ties with such a talented player after just one season.

Sanches hit the crossbar with his penalty during Bayern's shootout loss to Arsenal

The Portuguese may have to look elsewhere for regular football ash he bides his time at Bayern

WHAT MOURINHO SAID ABOUT SANCHES 'I arrived late. I signed in May, we started talking a week before, but completely out of the process. If I had arrived earlier, I'd fight for him. 'Manchester United watched Renato many times and maybe I did it even more. In so much time at home, I watched many Benfica and Portuguese league games, I got to know the boy better with time.' Jose Mourinho, August 2016 Advertisement

Sanches, after all, was never going to find it easy to get immediate first team experience at Bayern. Earlier this year, he claimed that he joined the German club so that he could 'learn from the very best players'.

He must surely have been aware that it would be tough to beat the likes of Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso to a place in the starting line-up. The long-term sense of signing Sanches would appear to be to replace Vidal when the time comes.

From that perspective, a season or two on loan while Vidal is still at his peak may be perfect for both the Portuguese and the club.

Bayern have proved themselves adept at loaning out young players at the right time in the past, as the likes of Philipp Lahm and David Alaba can testify.

What appears certain is that Sanches will not be wearing a Bayern shirt in the coming season. For even though Xabi Alonso has now gone, the likes of Vidal, Thiago and even Javi Martinez are still above Sanches in the pecking order.

Even if Carlo Ancelotti decided to open up a regular space for a younger midfielder this season, the responsibility would probably fall to Joshua Kimmich.

There is a sense that Sanches has struggled to integrate during his time at Bayern

Sanches joined Bayern from Portuguese side Benfica at the start of last season for £30million

Particularly in light of the current squabbles over Thomas Muller, Ancelotti will need to show that he understands the importance of having several German players in the Bayern first XI.

For Sanches, that almost certainly means no role next season. For all he has waxed lyrical about Ancelotti, the Italian coach has struggled to find a place for the young Portuguese, and Sanches has performed accordingly.

Though he often showcased his intelligent passing, quick reading of the game and ferocious energy, the midfielder all too often appeared out of sync with the overall system at Bayern: a fully functioning cog in the wrong machine.

With Rummenigge's statements this week, it seems inevitable that Sanches must now find a different space in which to grow, at least for another two years.

Having missed Sanches by a few weeks last year, Mourinho may now be in the right place at just the right time.