It was in early April that Jurgen Klopp really started to take notice of a striker at Benfica by the name of Darwin Nunez.
As Liverpool's analysis team sat down to pour over the strengths and the weaknesses of their Champions League quarter-final opponents, Klopp was said to have been struck by what he saw from the Portuguese side's star man.
Quick, strong and athletic - plus an eye for goal that would eventually see him finish the campaign with 34 to his name - Klopp quickly "fell in love", to quote one source.
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In person, Nunez quickly backed up the private assertion of Klopp and his staff that the young striker would have a big future in the game. In the first leg, the dynamic centre-forward pounced on a rare mistake from Ibrahima Konate before dispatching past Alisson Becker as the Reds won 3-1 in Lisbon.
It was in the second leg, however, where Nunez landed on the wider radar of the Liverpool fanbase. First came the delicate, first-time chip over Alisson that was ruled as offside before an angled finish around the Liverpool goalkeeper in the second period made it 3-3 on the night.
In what was an end-to-end match, particularly in the second period, Nunez also forced Alisson into an excellent stop with a stunning first-time volley at 3-3 as the Portuguese side pushed the Reds all the way for a place in the last four.
For a third time in the game, Nunez, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, slid another past Alisson before the flag was again raised and while the marginal decisions were ultimately correct, his performance more than suggested he was an expert finisher.
"An extremely good looking boy, huh?" Klopp said a few moments later in a packed post-match press conference at Anfield. "And a decent player as well. Really good, really good.
"I knew before, of course, but he played pretty much in front of me with his tough battles with Ibrahima Konate (in the first leg). He was physically strong, quick, and calm around his finish. Good, really good. I always say in these situations if he is healthy, it’s a big career ahead of him."
Of course, the decision to make Nunez the star addition of the summer was not made solely on the two games against them or the analysis work prior to those fixtures, but if it was an audition for the former Penarol youngster, it was one he passed with flying colours.
Liverpool sources had spoken earlier in the season of their belief that Atletico Madrid would be leading the chase for Nunez and expected there to be firm interest from other Premier League clubs. There was also a expectation at the time that a No.9 in the mould of the Benfica man would not be needed at Anfield this summer.
At the time, Luis Diaz was adjusting superbly to life on Merseyside and there was hope of speaking to Sadio Mane's agent to try and tie him down a new deal with the club. But when it became clear that Bayern Munich had turned the head of the Senegal star, senior figures were relaxed. The majority of the legwork had already been undertaken.
Liverpool's scouting and recruitment department are understood to work to at least two transfer windows in advance, meaning any potential targets for this summer were effectively scouted in 2021.
The Reds are arguably the most dedicated top-level club when it comes to using data-driven techniques in recruitment and with head of research Ian Graham and his team of academics dovetailing with the more traditional models favoured by chief scout Barry Hunter and head of recruitment Dave Fallows, Liverpool ensure there is always a plan, regardless of developments.
It's why they were able to act so decisively and effectively when it became clear that Mane was set for Munich last month.
"I think [the reason the recruitment works so well] is that we don't have as many roles within the team," one source told the ECHO recently. "It is a small department full of hard-working people and it is well organised.
"The knowledge they have there is vast and it means decisions can be made very quickly when things need to move. It's not a big department. The team is always close to each other, so the info moves very quickly and that is key. Every single detail is important for us at Liverpool. What makes the difference is the small details too."
New sporting director Julian Ward has been suitably prepared for his new high-profile job by taking over duties from his predecessor Michael Edwards more and more over the last 12 months or so.
In a way, it's been a phased move into the top job, which is something that will have helped when confronted with the events of the last few weeks when Mane was offloaded, Nunez was wanted and a deal was put together to tie down Mohamed Salah.
It's been a busy period for the new man at the top behind the scenes at Liverpool, but Ward has impressed with how he has dealt with a relatively pivotal few weeks for the club as far as their future hopes go under Klopp.
Having previously worked as both scouting manager for Portugal at Manchester City and under Carlos Quieroz at the Seleccao national team itself, Ward was able to utilise his extensive network of Portuguese contacts to make sure Liverpool beat Manchester United to the punch when it came to signing Nunez.
The writing was on the wall for Mane's Liverpool future in the wake of their Champions League defeat to Real Madrid on May 28. That the Reds were able to confirm Nunez, officially, as their new £64m man on June 14 speaks to their decisiveness when big calls are needed to be made.
The £21m worth of add-ons that could see him become a club-record signing at Anfield are understood to be split between personal achievements and team performance.
Klopp's side will pay £12.8m in appearance-related bonuses that they expect him to achieve, while a further £8.5m is slated to be paid around the team's success that includes winning the Champions League.
Nunez's arrival sees him become the first out-and-out striker signed under Klopp and perhaps the first since Christian Benteke was brought in from Aston Villa in the summer of 2015. His presence at the top of the line may require some adjustments in tactics, but insiders are convinced the style can evolve to get the best out of the free-scoring Uruguayan.
A full pre-season schedule will be another big benefit to him hitting the ground at pace. There are no concerns about him adjusting to his new surroundings as elite development coach Vitor Matos and assistant manager Pep Lijnders are understood to speak Portuguese to those, like Luis Diaz, who are still getting to grips with their English.
That communication has been vital for the Colombia international - another arrival from Portuguese football - while the likes of Fabinho, Diogo Jota, Alisson and Roberto Firmino will also be able to aid Nunez on that front.
With a six-year deal handed out on top of the potentially historic sum of £85m, it's clear Liverpool view Nunez as the man to spearhead the push for the honours for the remainder of Klopp's tenure and beyond. And having just turned 23, the Reds may just have found themselves another gem.
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