Few people have had a better view of modern footballing transfers than Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin, who's opened up on some of the biggest deals that have come through his inbox at the Estadio Vicente Calderon.
One particular saga of note is how the Rojiblancos have dealt with city rivals Real Madrid, with the capital clubs refusing to do business with one another in recent years, although it was Atleti who made movements to end that just last summer.
"Real have never asked for [Jose Maria] Gimenez, but we did enquire about [Alvaro] Morata in the summer," Gil Marin told Transistor.
A potential transfer for young centre-back Gimenez wasn't the only on the cards before the season started, with Manchester City also keen, having previously signed Sergio Aguero from Los Colchoneros.
"This summer, we had a very important offer from Manchester City for Lucas Hernandez and his brother Theo [on loan at Alaves]," Gil Marin added.
"[Aguero's exit] hurt us because the player made a unilateral decision to leave Atletico and we were the ones who were forced to look for an alternative."
Finally, the CEO was asked if he has a preference out of former Atleti goalkeepers David De Gea and Thibaut Courtois, two Premier League stars strongly linked with Real.
"I wouldn't feel bad if Courtois signed for Real Madrid," he noted. "I would prefer if it were De Gea, though, because we have a five percent sell-on clause for him."