Has anyone ever argued that Bastian was a world class signing?
Since he is a player you use to prove your point, I agree we have
very different understandings of world-class.
And yes. De Bruyne was as world class when City signed him as Sancho is now. And sure, we could've tried to sign him. Who knows, maybe we even did? What does that have to do with anything? Just becuase we could've been in for him, or any other world class player out there, doesn't mean we would've automatically got them, does it? Almost any player in the world has been attainable for Manchester United through the past 30 years. The problem is that a) not all players want to come here, b) some clubs bid more money or give bigger salaries, or c) they believe it's a better career move to go elsewhere, d) we chose other players we believed were better signings at the time.
I really don't get your point, mate. City and Liverpool have signed both world class players, world class talents, and players that fit their system perfectly. Arguing they haven't is a weird hill to die on.