It sounded like the perfect move. Gareth Bale, born and raised in Cardiff, joining the city's football club in a dream homecoming as he prepares to lead the Welsh national team in their first World Cup in 64 years.
There was a real sense last week that remarkably, it was a deal that was entirely possible. Bale held discussions with Cardiff boss Steve Morison as the Championship club share a training ground with the FAW, where he was undergoing physio work with the national team's medical staff.
The 32-year-old has reached a point in his career where money is not important, so wages would not have been issue. But of course, the Bluebirds were not the only club interested in signing him.
Jonathan Barnett, Bale's agent, told The Athletic that 'four or five serious offers' had been made for the forward, who exited Real Madrid as a free agent after nine years in the Spanish capital.