In honor of Chelsea potentially hijacking Arsenal's transfer of Raphinha from Leeds, here are five other memorable Premier League transfer hijacks.
The most significant transfer hijackings in Premier League history
The agreement on personal terms between Chelsea and the player is now pending, and it comes as a big surprise because the Blues had not previously been linked with Raphinha.
The talented Brazilian joined Leeds United from Stade Rennes in 2020 and has since made 66 appearances for the club, scoring 17 goals and providing 11 assists, earning him interest from Arsenal, Barcelona, and Tottenham this summer.
But, with Chelsea snatching Raphinha from under everyone's noses without warning, here are five other times something similar has happened in the Premier League... Chelsea does this frequently.
Tottenham transported French legend Emmanuel Petit from Monaco to North London for a signing, as dramatic as that subheading sounds, but it wasn't for a lot of money.
In 1997, Emmanuel Petit left Tottenham to join Arsenal.
The issue is that Petit was intercepted by Arsenal, the more reputable North London club, and was persuaded by manager Arsene Wenger, his compatriot with whom he had previously worked at Monaco.
Petit confirmed the story in 2018. "It was the first time I met David Dein, and Tottenham paid for the cab to help me sign for Arsenal," Petit said in 2018.
Manchester United announced the signing of young Nigerian superstar Mikel Obi in 2005, along with a photo of the player in a United kit, which should have been enough to seal the deal, right?
Between 2005 and 2006, John Obi Mikel caused a transfer dispute between Manchester United and Chelsea.
The Red Devils were surprised when English rivals Chelsea revealed that they had a prior agreement with Mikel and that United had signed him illegally.
A year of drama ensued, and FIFA was forced to intervene, ordering Chelsea to pay Manchester United £12 million in compensation.
Tottenham agreed to a £30 million fee with Anzhi Makhachkala for the transfer of Willian in the summer of August, and the player even had a medical.
That is, until Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich learned of it and immediately contacted the owner of Anzhi, a fellow Russian oligarch, to hijack the deal.
Willian was on his way to Tottenham when Chelsea signed him.
Chelsea paid £35 million and signed Willian using Tottenham's medical, causing the Tottenham camp to cry for weeks (not literally).
"Glory glory Man United!!!" played on Alexis Sanchez's piano at his Manchester United unveiling in 2018, after joining from Arsenal, but the transfer was anything but glorious.
Alexis Sanchez was in talks with Manchester City before joining United.
Sanchez had been in contact with Manchester City for six months, but they pulled out due to his high salary demands, and their city rivals, Manchester United, saw it as an opportunity.
Manchester United met his demands and thought they had gotten one over on their rivals, but it turned out to be a huge blunder, and Sanchez remains one of the biggest flops in football history.
Alexis Sanchez was a colossal flop at Manchester United.
The most recent Premier League hijacking occurred last summer, when Cristiano Ronaldo was set to leave Juventus.
The legendary Portuguese forward had left Turin for Manchester.
Sir Alex Ferguson and the powers that be at Manchester United would not let that happen, intercepting the deal and convincing Ronaldo to come to Old Trafford instead, capping off an emotional return to his former club.
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