In the murky world of transfer dealings, there are always grey areas and blurred lines. Take the case of Cody Gakpo.
The facts - confirmed by PSV - are that the Dutch side and Liverpool have "reached an agreement on the upcoming transfer". Gakpo, 23, will soon be in the UK for a medical, with the ECHO understanding an initial fee of £37m is in place for the deal.
The Reds have swooped and pushed ahead with talks quickly in recent days, mirroring what happened with Luis Diaz last January. As the ECHO's Paul Gorst reported, Gakpo was on the radar for a potential summer deal - with injuries to Diogo Jota and Diaz now accelerating that process.
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Paul's piece from last night added: "The admiration of other clubs is also understood to have expedited Liverpool's interest, with Manchester United reportedly keen on the Netherlands international, who scored in all three group games at the World Cup."
It is clear then, that rival suitors were circling for Gakpo. United held a significant level of interest - but how far did that extend?
This is where things get a little conflicted with mixed shades of the truth represented in various reports.
The Manchester Evening News today said: "Erik ten Hag registered an interest in Gakpo in the summer. However, at that stage, there was only scope in the budget and squad to bring in one attack-minded player and that was, of course, Antony from Ajax - a man who had developed right in front of his very eyes in Amsterdam.
"At the time, Gakpo was seemingly waiting to be picked up mid-season and United, presumably, set to come calling for him, yet again, due to their connections in the Eredivisie through Ten Hag and other means. His manager for PSV has most-recently been none other than United favourite Ruud van Nistelrooy."
The piece from Liam Wood added: "United seemingly faced competition from Real Madrid - which might have been difficult to withstand - so there will be a bitter taste in the mouth that he will actually touch down at Anfield instead. But was Gakpo, for his undoubted ability, even the right 'profile' for United anyway?"
That picks up a similar theme from previous MEN coverage, with reporter Samuel Luckhurst asked about the prospect of United signing Gakpo in January in a Q+A held earlier this month online.
He said: "It's not beyond the realms of possibility. Although it's inadvisable to sign a player on the back of a tournament, United can always play the summer card, as they did hold informal discussions then about Gakpo. John Murtough has a relationship with Gakpo's agent as he is also, conveniently, Ten Hag's agent."
Yet Luckhurst added: "As good as Gakpo looks, my personal feeling is United need someone with greater pedigree and who is also left-footed.
"Also: guess where Gakpo has started every game for PSV this season? The left wing (yes, he can/does play centrally for the Netherlands). So United would be contradicting themselves, as Ten Hag concluded they had too many right-footed forwards."
Was there a reluctance at United to commit to the price? While a total package of £40-50m does not seem excessive for a young talent with Gakpo's potential, it is possible.
Before the Liverpool developments yesterday, Fabrizio Romano tweeted in the morning to say: "Cody Gakpo hasn’t changed his mind on Manchester United. He was keen on joining last summer and this is still the case, discussions with his agents have always been positive.
"It’s on Man United now, time to decide internally about €55/60m investment."
The national media have also gone quite strong on just how interested United may have been.
The Telegraph suggest Liverpool "gazumped" their North West rivals, adding that "Jurgen Klopp is inflicting a major setback to United and their coach Erik ten Hag, who had made Gakpo a prime target and seemed to be confident of agreeing terms."
The Daily Mail report claims: "[PSV and Liverpool] held talks on Monday night as Liverpool moved to head off competition from Manchester United. United had instigated talks but were still to finalise a financial offer and Liverpool have taken advantage, with PSV confirming that a deal had been reached between the two clubs."
Perhaps it is best left to the player himself to fully shine a light on the situation.
“I think at the end of this season I will be ready to take that step,” the PSV captain told Dutch outlet NOS last month when asked about leaving the club. “I feel like I was already that way at the beginning of this season, but after this season I’m even more ready to take the next one. To take a step.
“PSV was always my dream club. I don’t really have one for the rest. (But) Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool. It would be an honour to play there, but I also have to see what kind of team I can best achieve my goals.”
And in a revealing interview with The Times back in October, Gakpo said: "I was close to leaving (in the summer). I spoke to Erik ten Hag a few times at Manchester United. In the end the deal didn’t go through, which was a shame - for me and my development, and because Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but also for PSV, because to transfer a player to Manchester United is a good thing for the club.
"It ended about a week before the end of the transfer window and in that week I had to decide if I would go to Leeds or Southampton. In the end I stayed, but it was a stressful period.”
United's loss may soon turn to Liverpool's gain - as another hectic spell awaits Gakpo with a medical and conclusion of his transfer to Anfield.
And there may be more stress after that, but of a very different kind: fighting for his place in a star-studded Reds attack and helping fire Klopp's side to even greater heights.
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