Sheffield United nearly missed out on Iliman Ndiaye because they were forced to pay Marseille compensation if they wanted to secure his services way back in 2019, according to The Guardian.
Initially spotted by scout Steve Holmes, he was taken on trial by the Blades and impressed during his two matches where he had the chance to prove his worth, persuading the South Yorkshire outfit to offer him a deal.
However, there were complications in getting the deal done because they needed to fork out a compensation fee to French top-tier outfit Marseille to recruit him, with the young attacker spending time in their academy at one point.
This fee was required despite the fact he had spent time at Boreham Wood since then, with the 22-year-old coming from non-league football to establish himself as one of United's most integral players three years later.
Currently at the World Cup with Senegal, he will be hoping to continue impressing after already claiming an assist in Qatar, as he prepares to take on England this evening for a place in the last eight of the tournament.
The Blades nearly missed out on the chance to get him - but they have scout Holmes and coach Trevor Binnion to thank for persuading them to pay the money needed to take him to Bramall Lane.
The Verdict:
Thankfully, the Blades did go ahead and pay the fee needed and they will probably be rewarded in the future because they have a great chance to generate millions from his potential sale now.
The small fee it took to lure him to Bramall Lane may also persuade officials in South Yorkshire to hold on for him a little longer because it will hurt less to lose him for free than Sander Berge considering they forked out a £22m fee on the Norwegian.
They will be desperate to keep him for at least the rest of this season in their quest to get back to the Premier League considering he's already scored nine goals, the same number as Oli McBurnie who has also been a real asset this season.
Considering the latter's hernia and ankle setbacks though, there are no guarantees he will be able to carry this pre-World Cup momentum through to the festive period and this is why it might be crucial for them to keep hold of Ndiaye.
They may have other attacking assets - but Rhian Brewster is currently on the sidelines which is a blow and Billy Sharp hasn't scored in the league this season - so it would be a bad idea to sell the Senegal international unless a proven replacement comes in.