Why on earth would you want the pressure of having to dig a team out of the dark ages, when you could just join real in your actual preferred move? If city were in for him still they would be ahead of UTD for his signature, and he STILL would end up at real imo. The contract would certainly tie him down...no club will SMASH the transfer record by paying in excess of £120m for a dodgy contract. Anyone of any value has crazy release clauses inserted these days.
UTD have signed nothing special imo, and the reality of what they are now seems to be flying over the heads of even some of the city fans...they are spent and desperate. He wont go to them.