Percy Tau's Club Brugge had a busy deadline day, and it's now been revealed just how they hijacked an African striker from under their rivals' noses, with the player skipping past club representatives in a hooded sweatshirt at an airport.
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After qualifying for this year's Uefa Champions League group stage, where they have been drawn alongside Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Galatasaray, Brugge made two late signings on deadline day.
They brought in defender Eder Balanta from Basel as well as striker Mbaye Diagne on loan from Galatasaray.
The del for the latter, though, must be one of the most curious ones of the recent transfer window as the Senegalese international, who won the Golden Boot in Turkey last season, seemed destined to join Brugge's league rivals RSC Anderlecht.
On Wednesday, baffled Anderlecht sporting director Michael Verschueren gave his side of the story.
"I will tell how it all went," he told Het Laaste Nieuws.
"Last week I was in Monaco. There I negotiated with the people of Galatasaray on Wednesday night. That went very smoothly, we had an agreement very quickly about a loan for Mbaye Diagne. We put all of that on paper on Thursday. We also found an agreement with the player. The only thing left to do was sign the contracts between all parties.
"We sent all the documents to Galatasaray on Sunday evening.
"The various brokers of the player had asked to book hotel rooms – Diagne would take his medical tests on Monday – and we would come and get him at the airport in Brussels South."
This is where the story gets interesting as Diagne arrived at the Brussels airport, but instead of meeting the waiting Anderlecht representatives, he put his hood up and skipped past them.
"Our team managers were waiting at agreed location at the airtport, but after an hour they called: 'The player is not there.' I found that weird," Verschueren explained.
"I started making calls, but I couldn't reach anyone. Until suddenly I received an incoming call from Galatasaray.
"'Sorry, we have accepted an offer from Brugge, Mbaye has chosen that club,' they said. I did not understand. In the meantime I heard that the player had passed the team manager with a hood over his head. Well, then I start asking myself questions."
Click through the gallery below to see all the awards winners at the recent Uefa gala:
Verschueren also added that he has not contacted Tau's club yet, but insisted he would not have hijacked the transfer like that.
"If they knew we had an agreement with Diagne, it's a real pity," he continued.
"If I would've been in there shoes, I'd at least called us. We often meet in the league and know each other well."
Brugge, meanwhile, insisted they were told Anderlecht did not have an agreement with Galatasaray or the player.
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As a listed club on stock market, the Turkish side are obliged to release that information, but they never did. They only made an announcement about Mbaye's move to Brugge on Sunday, and did not mention Anderlecht at all.
Do you think Tau's Brugge can upset some European giants in the Uefa Champions League this season? Have your say in the comments section below.
