One of the sagas of the summer so far is Manchester United's pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to refresh his faltering squad with young faces, changing the club's transfer strategy from marquee signings to promising talents.
Daniel James is already through the door from Swansea City after prolonged negotiations, to become the manager's first signing following his permanent appointment.
Now attentions have turned to the England Under-21 full-back as United look to fill the void left by Antonio Valencia's exit.
Here's what we know so far courtesy of James Robson...
Is the deal close?
United have lodged two bids for Wan-Bissaka but failed with both, though Standard Sport understands a third is imminent and expected to be close to Crystal Palace's valuation.
Both bids have involved an up-front payment of £35m plus add-ons, with the first totalling £40m and the second closer to £50m. Solskjaer is understood to be growing frustrated by United's slow progress on deals, having identified Wan-Bissaka as his first-choice right-back target months ago.
However, at the time of writing, United hope to seal the signing in the next 48 hours but a fee is still yet to be agreed for the 21-year-old.
The deal is set to reach £60m and will break the transfer record for a British defender.
How much will he cost?
Crystal Palace are understood to want around £40-45m up front, with add-ons taking the fee to a potential £55m.
Palace are in a strong negotiating position with Wan-Bissaka having three years to run on his contract, and the player has not pushed for a move.
It’s anticipated United’s third bid will finally see them reach a breakthrough, despite Palace being exasperated by the club's failure to get close enough to their initial £60m valuation.
United hope to recoup a portion of the fee quickly with fellow full-back Matteo Darmian a target for both Juventus and Valencia.
What is Manchester United's budget?
United have already spent £22m on James, while Wan-Bissaka is expected to push that summer outlay to close to £80m.
According to various reports, Solskjaer has £100m to spend meaning he will have little left to play with once the right-back swaps Selhust Park for Old Trafford.
However, it is understood that Solskjaer will be allowed to reinvest any sales back into this playing squad.
Romelu Lukaku is a target for Inter Milan and would command a fee north of £70m, while Paul Pogba would cost far more than the £89m paid for him three years ago.
Is he good enough?
In a word: yes.
Wan-Bissaka has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Palace, making his first-team debut in a loss to Tottenham in February 2018. His next match was a man-of-the-match display, in defeat, to United where, reportedly, he caught the eye of Jose Mourinho.
He played five more times that season - being named Young Player of the Year - before establishing himself as first-choice right-back last season with 39 appearances across all competitions and being named Player of the Year.
He is now a staple of Aidy Boothroyd's England Under-21 squad.
