It was a deal that came out of the blue and handed Liverpool fans a most welcome Christmas present.
On Boxing Day it emerged that Liverpool were close to an agreement with PSV Eindhoven for their Dutch international Cody Gakpo, the 23-year-old winger a player on many a club radar in recent months after his fine performances in the Eredivise.
Manchester United had for some time looked the most likely destination for Gakpo, but with talks opened on Christmas Eve and a deal all tied up with a medical completed by December 28, Liverpool clinched the £37m deal, which could rise to £44m and stole a march on their rivals to make a key addition at a crucial time having lost both Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota to injury.
