Remember the episode of The Simpsons with the trillion dollar bill?
Mr Burns allows the president of Cuba to hold it only to find that, when he asks for it back, it's already as good as stolen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYCsnBdLzgI
Just imagine Brendan Rodgers ringing up the Lille boardroom on Saturday when the transfer window reopened. Asking about Divock Origi, met with confused silence and a coy, "give what back?" the Liverpool boss must've realised he was duped.
Now, the manager is paying the price for agreeing to loan back his £10m summer signing to the French club who have the big Belgian under contract in Ligue 1 until the end of the season.
But Liverpool look like they're bringing Origi back come what may. The French and Belgian media reckon that the two clubs are in talks and that an agreement is expected this month to see the striker's loan cut short at Lille. That would see the 12-time Belgium international return to Anfield in January to help ease the club's striking woes.
The Liverpool Echo today reported that the Premier League side would fork out another £3m for a player they have already paid for but, frankly, if it gets him back any sooner, Brendan Rodgers probably won't care one bit.
Rodgers has already hinted that he could be calling on the striker sooner rather than later when he praised Origi as world class.
“He is a top player. He has everything - the speed, the profile and he could play for Liverpool now. He can run in behind, he can keep the ball and he can press.”
