According to Sky Sports News, Sunderland's Danny Graham pursuit could be in danger due to unexpected interest from his former club Middlesbrough.
It has been reported that, although Graham and his agent are in the north east waiting to speak to Sunderland, no fee has been agreed yet with the Black Cats and 'Boro have stolen a march on their rivals.
Whether or not it will prove to be a decisive development remains to be seen, but it would appear that we are about to find out just how serious Martin O'Neill is about recruiting the Swansea striker.
There is little realistic prospect of the Teesiders outbidding Sunderland, and they can't offer the lure of Premier League football either. There is always the possibility too, of course, that it is no more than a bluff from somewhere designed to shake away a stalemate in negotiations.
Despite the development, with so much time left to run on deadline day, you'd still consider Sunderland favourites to get their man - if they want him enough.