Manchester United fans scouring the internet looking for any news on the potential arrival of Bruno Fernandes were given a bit of a jolt by Rio Ferdinand on Friday evening.
Suggestions that a delegation from Sporting Lisbon including president Frederico Varandas and sporting director Hugo Viana have been in Manchester holding talks with United have been gathering pace, with Portuguese outlet Record reporting those claims.
As is usually the way with these things, everyone has then reported those reports, but given their apparent lack of urgency in the transfer market in recent years then United fans are understandably wary over reading too much into anything.
But then Ferdinand took to Twitter .
The United legend and six-time Premier League winner - who is a former Old Trafford teammate of Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - simply tweeted the name 'Bruno' complete with 12 Os, an hourglass and a watch, suggesting that it could be a matter of time before the 25-year-old will be seen strutting his stuff at Old Trafford.
And that's exciting isn't it?
Reports suggest that it could take an offer of around £60million to make Sporting loosen their grip on their captain, but on Friday Solskjaer was staying tight-lipped on claims that he had recently been to scout the midfielder.
"We go back to speculations and we do go and watch games all the time,"he said.
"When I've been and where I've been is irrelevant. [Fernandes] is another player in a different club I can't speak about.
"We've still got the same thoughts we had a month ago. We've got the players we have, we're working with the ones we have and if something happens we'll tell you.
"I can't say yes or no [if players will leave during January], but I wouldn't expect many ins and outs, no."
Try telling Rio that.
