The 11-time Premier League winner explained that he had always wanted to sign the iconic defender, but was immediately knocked back by the Italian’s father, Cesare.
Maldini, one of the greatest defenders of the 1990s, first played for the Rossoneri in 1985 aged 16, spending 25 seasons at the club before retiring last year.
As well as captaining Italy to the World Cup final in 1994 and scoring the fastest goal in a Champions League final - after 51 seconds against Liverpool in 2005 - Maldini won seven Serie A titles and five European Cups during his time at the San Siro.
And Red Devils' supremo Ferguson admitted he had long been an admirer of the left-back, but could not convince him to leave his home-town club and sign for United.
"I always wanted to get Paolo here but it was impossible," he said in The Sun.
"I met his father at a game and told him how much I'd love to have his son at United.
"Cesare smiled at me and said 'My grandfather was Milan, my father was Milan, I played for Milan and now my son is Milan'.
"And that was it, story over!"
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