Tottenham's bid for Luis Diaz stalled at the most untimely of moments to allow Liverpool to swoop in - and it was all down to Jorge Mendes.
Liverpool are poised to complete a deal for the highly-rated Porto winger, 25, with £37.5million due up front, plus a further £12.5million in add-ons.
The transfer is seen as a real coup for the Reds, who will make a crucial addition to bolster their attacking options.
But things could possibly have turned out differently had Tottenham had their way in the negotiations.
The North London club were keen on signing Diaz themselves, and had even lodged a bid worth a total of £48m.
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Luis Diaz to Liverpool: Spectacular £50m transfer is close as Reds beat Man Utd to punch
Read more: Liverpool's reasons for Luis Diaz move clear as Reds hijack Tottenham deal
According to The Sun, Porto had accepted the offer, which included an initial payment of £40m, but the deal was held up due to a row over the involvement of Mendes.
The Portuguese super-agent - whose clients include Cristiano Ronaldo - was one of the intermediaries said to have been working on the deal.
However, his role in proceedings frustrated Diaz's two actual representatives - who are based in Europe and South America respectively - and neither would sanction the deal going ahead until Mendes was out of the picture.
That gave Liverpool opportunity to hijack Tottenham's approach and thrash out talks with Diaz, though he was always more keen on a switch to Anfield anyhow.
Mirror Football revealed that Diaz only wanted to move to Liverpool once learning of their interest, a factor Porto accepted despite receiving higher offers from elsewhere.
Manchester United, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were all interested in landing Diaz's services, but Liverpool had scouted him extensively before finally taking the plunge.
It is not clear whether Mendes played a part in negotiations with the Merseyside club.
Diaz has a release clause in his Porto contract worth £67m, but the Portuguese club are in need of cash and were prepared to accept a lower offer.
With the contracts of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all winding down, and each player entering his 30s, the move for Diaz represents a big step towards replacing their front line.
Meanwhile for Tottenham it comes as another hammer blow in a transfer window which has so far failed to bear any fruit.
Spurs' boss Antonio Conte was keen to sign Adama Traore from Wolves but was edged out by Barcelona, with the player's reluctance to play as a wing-back thought to be a key factor in his decision to snub Tottenham.
As such, Conte was then desperate to seal a move for Diaz but was ultimately beaten to the punch by Liverpool.
Diaz featured twice against Liverpool in the Champions League group stages earlier this season and is coming off the back of finishing joint top scorer with Lionel Messi at Copa America in the summer.
The Colombian is a pacy and skilful forward, very much in Jurgen Klopp's desired profile, with a deal between the clubs expected to be concluded by the time the weekend is out.
