Such is the attraction of playing in Pep Guardiola's current treble-winning side, combined with the amount of money the Premier League champions have at their disposal, Manchester City can usually feel confident about landing their key transfer targets.
And all seemed to be pointing in the usual direction in the case of Josko Gvardiol, too, with the deal even receiving the famous Fabrizio Romano 'here we go', which almost always means a deal will reach completion.
RB Leipzig are in no mood to entertain the transfer expert's news, however, even contradicting Romano in a shock new twist.
In what will no doubt rub some salt in the Man City wounds, too, it appears as though Liverpool have played a deciding role in the unexpected Grvardiol twist.
Manchester City suffer Josko Gvardiol blow
Taking the opportunity to shut any rumours down, RB Leipzig director Max Eberl said, via Philipp Hinze of Sky Germany: "There is no agreement with Manchester City. Not even close."
He then continued, saying: "The fact is that Manchester City would like to have him. Currently, we are still very far apart. The transfer of Szoboszlai has secured us financially. We don't need the money. We would prefer Josko to stay."
Slamming the message home, Eberl added: "We are not a club that blocks anything. We are transparent. But we have our ideas and want them to be implemented.“
It will likely leave Liverpool delighted that their £60m deal to bring Dominik Szoboszlai to the club has played a large part in Leipzig's stance on Gvardiol.
The defender was pictured in training this week, despite initial reports from Romano stating that the defender had completed the first stages of his medical at Manchester City.
The transfer specialist has since claimed that tensions are high between Leipzig and City in the final stages of negotiations, causing a delay to the medical, which was supposed to be booked today.
Also speaking about Gvardiol, Leipzig manager Marco Rose said, via Hinze: "Josko is one of our players and as far as I know he will remain one of our players. I don't know anything about a medical check, nothing about a first and nothing about a second. I think if it was, I would know as head coach!"
After Leipzig contradicted Romano, the Gvardiol saga is certainly one to keep an eye on.
How did Josko Grvadiol perform last season?
There's a reason why Leipzig want a reported €100m (£86m) for Gvardiol this summer. The defender had another outstanding campaign last season, as the club finished third in the Bundesliga, five points behind champions Bayern Munich.
When compared to Nathan Ake, who could be his future teammate at Manchester City, the Leipzig defender outplayed the Dutchman in certain areas.
According to FBref, last season, Gvardiol made more blocks, clearances, won more tackles, and made more interceptions per 90 than Ake. So, statistically speaking, the transfer target would be an upgrade for Guardiola.
As things stand, though, the chances of Gvardiol becoming a Manchester City player seem to be growing slimmer and slimmer, with those at RB Leipzig quick to contradict Romano's initial claims.
As the saga goes on, however, more twists and turns could easily occur.