Twists and turns are part and parcel of any Manchester United transfer window.
And this summer has proven no different with the club doing the business in landing Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, but discovering that talisman Cristiano Ronaldo no longer wants to be a part of the project.
New Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag is remaining optimistic for the time being and has held crunch talks with the Portugual international at Carrington this Tuesday alongside Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes and, apparently, special guest Sir Alex Ferguson. The Dutchman remains hopeful of convincing the 37-year-old to remain at United.
Ant so bad
Should Ten Hag fail to change Ronaldo's mind, the Red Devils manager has identified Ajax forward Anthony as a possible long-term replacement.
And Ten Hag has already been given a green light of sorts to make an offer for the Brazilian from none other than his former club's technical manager Gerry Hamstra.
"We want to keep this group together. I am assuming that nobody will leave from this core," Hamstra told Voetbal International, when asked if Anthony could leave.
"Of course, you can never say never, I have learned that. But we also talk to the players about it and have discussions. Also with guys who might have a wish to leave. And that Ajax players are in demand, that is logical, there is capital on the pitch. They are all boys who have developed further with us."
De Jong gone
Another player on United's wishlist is Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, and signing the Dutchman alongside Anthony would be a pretty perfect window for Ten Hag, regardless of what Ronaldo decides to do.
The issue with De Jong is that he doesn't want to leave Barcelona, despite the Catalan club effectively forcing him out the door at the Camp Nou.
United cannot offer the midfielder Champions League football this season, and this is a big factor in De Jong so far snubbing the Red Devils' approaches.
But according to Spanish publication Sport, De Jong has U-turned on his decision to leave Barcelona in recent weeks and would consider a move to the Premier League.
The problem for United, though, is that De Jong would reportedly rather join Chelsea.
