Newcastle United's hopes of resigning Joe Willock were dealt a blow last week when Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said the midfielder would return to the club, but Toon fans can take hope from a situation played out in the summer of 2019.
During that pre-season, Manchester United were repeatedly linked with Magpies' midfielder Sean Longstaff with a £50m price-tag touted.
Those links continued into the winter window but Longstaff was hit by injury and his form has failed to hit the heights seen in those first few months in the first team.
The North Shields lad is slowly getting back to the level that many expect of him but even now Newcastle would be fortunate to see a £30m bid land on their table - and that could give hope in the pursuit for Willock.
If Newcastle are serious over Willock, and head coach Steve Bruce certainly seems keen to bring him back, then a bid in the region of £25m could be enough to get those at Arsenal thinking.
Do they hold onto Willock and risk a similar scenario to Longstaff, where injury strikes and form drops off and the one-time high fee demanded becomes a knock-down price? Or do they cash in while the price is high?
Nobody wanted to see Longstaff leave - they wanted to see the side built around him, but fast-forward two years and he's only just starting to re-establish himself in the first team. That is great for the midfielder and Newcastle fans - who would love to see a few Geordies come through the ranks and into the first team, but there will always be some who feel they should have cashed in if such a price was on the table.
That scenario is exactly what the hierarchy at Arsenal will face.
For all Arteta speaks of welcoming Willock back and 'planning' for the midfielder's future at The Emirates, there's no guarantee that he will fit into Arsenal's style of playing, and more importantly, Willock's form means he can return to Arsenal and demand answers on his future as opposed to sitting there, making up the numbers and hoping for a first-team opportunity.
With Arsenal set for a rebuild this summer, the prospect of £25m for Willock may be too tempted to turn down, especially if he's not held in such high regard as he is by Bruce and his Newcastle staff.
