As is often the case when facing the press, Jurgen Klopp would have known more than he was letting on.
After coming face-to-face with Darwin Nunez twice in the space of a week in April, the Liverpool manager chose his words carefully when it came to discussing the 22-year-old's qualities.
“He was physically strong, quick, was calm around his finish," said the Reds boss.
"Good, really good. I always say in these situations if he is healthy, it’s a big career ahead of him."
It isn't known whether Klopp - who also turned heads when he described Nunez as "a really good-looking boy" in the week of the 6-4 aggregate Champions League quarter-final victory over Benfica - would have known exactly how things were going to pan out back then, but he'd have known enough.
Nunez, who scored against Liverpool in both legs, would already have been on the club's radar. The Reds and their transfer team haven't got to where they are today, and amassed their impressive recent record of deals, by not knowing everything there is to know about a forward who would go on to score 34 goals in all competitions in 2021-22.
The fact that he was doing so in Portugal would have made Liverpool's research all the more thorough as well.
The Reds have a wealth of knowledge on the Portuguese Primeira Liga, with Klopp's assistant Pep Lijnders and Reds development coach Vitor Matos both having a background at Porto, Liverpool's perennial Champions League opponents who sold them Luis Diaz in January.
All of which makes this summer's transfer interest in Nunez all the more convincing, and game-changing for Klopp's side.
As it stands, the Reds have been told that it will take a club record fee to prise the Uruguayan from Lisbon, although they will hope that such a declaration of interest will lead to Nunez pushing for a move and the fee coming down somewhat.
Liverpool have no interest getting involved in bidding wars for players, they have frequently shown that if a deal cannot be done on their terms then they will just walk away, and so the supposed interest from Manchester United and Atletico Madrid still threatens to throw a spanner in the works somewhat, even if you could soon see both clubs back down.
That's because Nunez is now Liverpool's No.1 target, and those targets are usually acquired.
And if a deal does end up being done, it will represent the biggest shift at Liverpool under Klopp since the first six months of 2018 when Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Fabinho were signed, largely with the money that had been brought in for Philippe Coutinho.
Because if there were any doubt before, the move for Nunez should make clear that Sadio Mane - that pillar of the Liverpool attack since Klopp's first summer in charge in 2016 - will be leaving the club, with Bayern Munich expected to eventually come to the table with an acceptable offer after a couple of weak attempts so far.
It is a shame that a modern day Liverpool great fancies a change of scenery, but Klopp isn't likely to hold that against Mane, and a sale in the region of £40m probably looks ideal for all parties.
Add that to fees incoming for fringe players such as Takumi Minamino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Nat Phillips and Neco Williams and the vast majority of the Nunez fee - if not all of it - will have been raised.
Such slick accounting is the type of thing Liverpool have become renowned for in recent years, but this case will undoubtedly have the biggest impact on Klopp's side on the pitch.
Nunez is able to play from the left, and does naturally enjoy drifting out there regularly, but with Diaz so dangerous from that side it is safe to assume that the Uruguayan would be utilised more often through the centre were he to arrive at Anfield.
That would mean that Klopp would have bought a player who is as close to a conventional No.9 as anyone he's ever signed for Liverpool, with Christian Benteke being inherited when he joined in 2015 and Divock Origi, another gift bequeathed to the German manager, utilised for his magic moments when required.
Indeed, Origi's summer departure leaves a hole that is perhaps being underestimated outside of the Liverpool bubble, particularly given the rigours that await next season.
There are certain to be games in the coming campaign in which a more conventional No.9 will be needed, with the sheer volume of matches and the introduction of five substitutes meaning that Klopp's tactical flexibility could and should be rewarded as his side seek to explode out of the blocks in a gruelling year.
Perhaps Mane's use as a No.9 in the closing months of the past season can now be viewed differently in the context of his likely departure, as instead of bringing a new dimension to the player it was instead done to benefit the team for a forthcoming tactical adjustment.
With Mo Salah still around for another year at least and so dangerous from the right, Diogo Jota sure to get his fair share of appearances and goals across the attack and Roberto Firmino still signed on for one more season, Nunez would be joining a gifted attacking group.
But he would also change it, seeking to bend it to his will and given every chance to do so as Klopp's Liverpool 2.0, or 3.0, takes hold.
Opportunities probably don't get much more exciting in the modern game, both for the player potentially joining the party and the manager seeking to evolve it.
