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Manchester City executives are in Monaco for the Champions League draw on Thursday and it's a big opportunity in the final days of the transfer window.
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Deals get done in Monaco all the time, but in the exclusive restaurants and onboard the super yachts parked in the harbour over the next 24 hours, the final throes of the European transfer window will be in full swing.
While the executives of most of Europe's biggest clubs are in the principality for the Champions League draw on Thursday evening, finding out who you will face and when in the league phase is only part of the agenda.
For many, meetings will be squeezed in, deals discussed, and handshakes exchanged. With most windows shutting on Monday, this is a rare opportunity for key decision makers to get in the same room and thrash out the final terms of a transfer.
There are plenty of deals that look to be stuck in a logjam at the moment, where one move could unlock another, and so on. It's going to be a busy weekend across Europe.
That remains the case at Manchester City, with director of football Hugo Viana in Monaco for the draw, fulfilling the duty that for so long had been the domain of Txiki Begiristain. But while Viana might be a new face at the Etihad, he is a familiar one in this environment.
His workload might have been reduced a little with the decision to keep Savinho at the club amid Tottenham's interest, thereby ending any chance of a dramatic late move to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid, but there is still more to be done.
The priority is to get a few exits over the line, with Manuel Akanji and Ilkay Gundogan the two players most likely to depart. Perhaps Viana's attention will be on discussions with his counterparts from Paris St-Germain and Galatasaray.
A goalkeeping merry-go-round involving Ederson and Gianluigi Donnarumma has been on the cards for weeks, but with four days of the window to go, it still hasn't happened. The next few hours in Monaco are an opportunity to either put the wheels in motion or bring it to an end once and for all.
Donnarumma's PSG exit has been so certain that he was given a grand farewell at the Parc des Princes last week. But if Ederson stays at City, then the Italian's chances of a move suddenly recede as well.
It's a mystery why Galatasaray are taking so long to seal a deal for Ederson, having been interested in the 32-year-old for at least six weeks. The Brazilian has one year left on his contract, and it should be relatively straightforward to come to an agreement with face-to-face talks.
That would give City the leeway to try to strike a deal with PSG for Donnarumma. The Champions League winners want around £35million for the 26-year-old, but their hand is weakened by Luis Enrique's making it clear he isn't part of his plans.
This really is the last major hurdle for City to negotiate this summer, but for it to happen, something has to give. The Champions League draw in Monaco is the perfect chance for that to happen.
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