Talk about turning the screw. Barely days before Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu was due in High Court over the Neymar transfer, his counterpart at Real Madrid was sending out feelers to Lee Seung Woo's camp.
That some inside Barca believe the Neymar case is being driven from Madrid only heightened the anger over Florentino Perez's cheeky enquiry.
But a South Korean, barely 17 and not yet close to even the Barca B team? Why all the fuss?
Well, listen to any of Lee's youth coaches at La Masia and they'll quietly declare the teen not only best prospect inside their much-vaunted academy, but possibly the best talent for his age in the world. Local observers have likened the attacker to Lionel Messi, only with one difference - Lee is the better finisher!
Before his sacking, former Barca sports director Andoni Zubizarreta broke his rule of not visiting youth games personally for one player: Lee.
Driving Florentino's attempt to prise Lee away from Barca is the Catalans' year-long transfer ban - with the teen right at the centre of FIFA's ruling. Along with seven other youth teamers, Lee is banned from playing any formal football for Barca until he turns 18 as part of FIFA's punishment for the club's handling of underage transfers.
Lee, who turns 18 on January 6, 2016, is the most high profile victim of the ruling and there was a belief at Valdebebas he could be tempted away from La Masia over fears of his development stalling.
However, Barca fans need not panic.
Lee, whose agents include Pere Guardiola, the brother of former Barca and current Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola, signed a long-term contract only last year. The deal was for three years, with the option for a further two. In a clear sign of how highly regarded he is at Barca, the terms tabled were far superior to any of his peers and included an open offer to cover regular flights to and from South Korea for him and his family.
The agreement was struck well before FIFA handed down their ruling and was drawn up more in concern over his growing reputation across Europe.
At last year's U16 Asian Cup, Lee was crowned Player of the Tournament and also returned with the competition's Golden Boot. Those exploits, along with his exciting club form, had Chelsea football chief Michael Emenalo making enquiries, along with representatives from Liverpool.
Guardiola has close ties to both Premier League clubs and with Lee still on amateur forms at the time, there was a real danger he could be tempted to England.
But Guardiola, along with partner Pau Clavero, were convinced staying with Barca remained the best career path for Lee. Adding his influence was former Barca youth chief, Albert Puig, who brought the youngster to Spain. Despite leaving the club last year, he remains close to the Lee family and is understood to have urged him to continue his education at La Masia.
Even with Real Madrid's pressure and his formal playing ban, Barca chiefs have no concerns of losing their young star. It's now become a family affair.
Lee's younger brother Seung Jun is this year joining the La Masia academy from Cornella.
In South Korea, Lee is already a phenomenon - something which will have heavily influenced Perez's decision to risk Barca's wrath and move for the youngster last week. But playing with Barca, his profile has exploded across Asia, particularly in China, where his profile is now even bigger than he enjoys in his homeland.
For now, he's withdrawn from the spotlight. But the countdown is on: in less than a year, Lee will be 18 and ready to relaunch his career - with the Blaugrana.
