10 big transfers ruined by failed medicals in football history

Nigerian striker, Victor Boniface has been trending in the last couple of days after his failed transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Italian Serie A giants AC Milan.

Victor, who was on the verge of joining AC Milan in a season long loan move with an initial €5 million fee and an option to buy for €30 million package at the end of the season has returned to Germany after failing his medicals in Milano because of his right knee.

As a result, AC Milan were forced to resume their search in the transfer market for a new striker in order to reinforce their attacking department for the new Serie A campaign.

On the back of this trending story, GhanaWeb looks at players who have failed medicals in the past.

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Some of the players in this list failed their initial medical examination but got another opportunity to sign for the same club in a different transfer window.

Check out the tread of players who failed medicals in the post below;

You think Boniface was the first player to fail their Medicals? Think twice.

Here’s a thread of Ten Players who FAILED Medicals

No 6&9 💔

1. Victor Boniface

2025. The Striker’s move from Leverkusen to AC Milan collapsed after failing his medical due to an issue with his knee pic.twitter.com/LxIUdFmNOj

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025

2. Nabil Fekir

Liverpool 2018.

The French World Cup winner’s deal from Lyon was called off after Liverpool's medical team discovered a previous knee injury, leading to the Reds backing out despite Fekir having posed for photos in club gear. pic.twitter.com/w7DfmIs7aO

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025

3. Ruud van Nistelrooy

Manchester United 2000

The Dutch forward's transfer from PSV Eindhoven fell through when Manchester United raised concerns over a knee injury during the medical. He successfully joined the club a year later and became a legend pic.twitter.com/I6W3UvH1FD

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025

4. Aly Cissokho

AC Milan 2009

The left-back's move from Porto failed due to unusual dental problems flagged in the medical, which raised fears of potential future spinal issues; Milan attempted to renegotiate but the deal collapsed, and he joined Lyon instead. pic.twitter.com/veci44DlFN

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025

5. Loic Remy

Liverpool 2014

The French striker's transfer from QPR was blocked by medical concerns, with rumors pointing to a heart issue, though he quickly passed a medical at Chelsea instead and contributed to their Premier League title win. pic.twitter.com/eqDqfHpCeW

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025

6. 16-year-old midfielder was poised to join Spanish giants Real Madrid following his rise to prominence earlier this year, but the deal has now been officially called off after he failed to pass the club's routine medical checks. pic.twitter.com/iW6UgId4Cw

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025

7. Andrey Asharvin

Famous for his four goals against Liverpool at Anfield, his move to Arsenal from Zenit St in 2009 almost collapsed due to a heart-related issue that left doctors uncertain during his medicals.

Although he later signed. But he was first rejected by Arsenal pic.twitter.com/eslrJw2jZr

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025

8. Victor Valdes.

Then Barca goalkeeper had a pre-contract agreement with AS Monaco Jan 2014, to move to the club in the summer.

However, he suffered an injury in March that ended his season and was not in a healthy condition to complete his move to Monaco in the summer. pic.twitter.com/BfCLFXSK9k

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025

9. Kevin Danso

2024 and 2025

The Austrian defender has experienced multiple failed medicals before his move to Tottenham Hotspur from Lens in the winter window of 2025.

An agreement had been sealed with AS Roma for a move in 2024, but the center back Failed his Medicals twice pic.twitter.com/rOnl2jLuC3

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025

10. Nwankwo Kanu.

He agreed on a move to Inter Milan from Ajax and had his medical while he was on international duties.

It was discovered that he had a heart condition and Inter could have ended it but gave him a chance at surgery.

He won the UEFA CUP in 1998 with Inter pic.twitter.com/Qb0gyoLNkN

— HOLYMAN ✝️ (@TheHolyman_) August 26, 2025