Manchester United's transfer tales in recent years have often seen them tend to lose out at the final hurdle, as the supposed target slips away.
Wesley Sneijder could only buy so many houses in the Greater Manchester area, Sergio Ramos wasn't going to ignore that new Real Madrid contract forever and Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas just didn't recognise David Moyes' number when it popped up on their phones.
For United, the big name addition has so often been so annoyingly out of reach, with the thrill of the chase the only thing that fans had to look forward to.
The club have still signed some incredible players of course, but the list of additions isn't quite as long as the list of players who have slipped away.
For now Jadon Sancho is among one of those collectives, but he could soon be in the other one.
Nothing is likely to happen with the Borussia Dortmund star is away with England at the Euros - even if he couldn't get on the bench for the Croatia game - but the mood music is starting to shift and United look to be closing in on the player they tried and failed to get last summer.
What's different now? Well Ed Woodward isn't around for starters.
The club's now former executive vice-chairman was on the scene of the crime for many of these failed transfer moves, as United's tactic of starting out low and hoping to lowball the selling clubs usually came back to haunt them.
Woodward's removal doesn't mean that everything will change immediately obviously, but it does mean that United's transfer team including new football director John Murtough aren't burdened by the failures of the past.
Sir Alex Ferguson has even seen fit to make his feelings on Sancho known, with German outlet SportBild carrying quotes from the United managerial great this week.
Discussing him at the Euros, he said: "I think a lot of Jadon Sancho, with his one-on-one duels, as an assister and scorer, he is extremely dangerous.
"He has so much potential, he helps the team. That’s why he’ll be valuable to England over the course of the tournament."
Thumbs up from Fergie then, and another variable seems to have changed this summer which supports the idea of a transfer.
First time around there were legitimate worries that signing Sancho was going to eat into Mason Greenwood's game-time, with the forward having just enjoyed a brilliant breakout season for United in 2019/20.
Greenwood found things a little bit more difficult in this past season, with injury and form issues affecting him.
That is to be expected of course, and having pulled out of the Euros with fitness issues there is a strong argument that the youngster really needs protecting in the coming season at United.
Sancho's signing could well be the solution to any nagging concerns about his injury issues, and so the benefits of gettng the England man continue to rack up.
Now United just have to get it done.
