Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique is the latest victim of this phenomenon. Some believe he's claimed the Reds have already lined up the signing of Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch.
The Spaniard let slip during a live stream on YouTube: “This player is ours, amigo (...) Gravenberch. The same agent as me! Team Raiola, we had a meeting not long ago in London."
Enrique was warned by his co-host to "be careful", which is advice he eventually took as the video has now been deleted.
Naturally, many outlets caught wind of this and have written articles about the transfer 'claim' by the former Liverpool man.
These stories are, to be fair, aided by loose links between the club and player.
But the proof was in the pudding; Enrique said that Gravenberch is with the same agency as himself.
A quick dive into Google tells you the young Bayern midfielder is represented by Rafaela Pimenta - who has effectively inherited some of Mino Raiola's clients.
With that context in mind, it's safe to assume Enrique was excitedly talking about Gravenberch's representation (and not an upcoming transfer).
Does this mean the Bayern starlet won't sign for Liverpool in the future? No, but it's not the smoking gun it has been made out to be.