The Italians agreed personal terms with the Brazilian and a transfer fee with Bordeaux, only for the Blaugrana to steal the 21-year-old away from them
Nobody better understands the win-at-all-costs mentality of modern football than Jose Mourinho.
When the Portuguese hijacked Tottenham's signing of Willian from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013, he added insult to injury by essentially claiming that Spurs only had themselves to blame for naively revealing that the Brazilian was in London for a medical.
"That’s the danger of medicals before contracts," Mourinho smugly mused after wrapping up a £30m deal for the attacking midfielder.