With no major tournament in which the general public can watch England bravely whimper out of this summer, more than ever the focus will be on following transfer news while the Ashes are on.
Indeed, in some cases it has already begun, with clubs reaching out early on to try and get major business done.
It might be due to a contract wrangle, it may be down to the difficulty in trying to spring a player from his club, but the fact of the matter is that some transfers just take a while.
And here are the ones that we fear could drag on way into the summer?
Raheem Sterling
Wanted by: Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayern, Manchester City
Price: £30million+
Liverpool dallied too long in offering Raheem Sterling a new contract (just as they have done with Martin Skrtel and many before) and when they did, their low-ball terms were rejected out of hand by Sterling's entourage.
And so it sparked a sequence of events where the England man could be available for a bargain price with his contract running down and a handful of wealthy suitors.
It's your classic contract-wrangle saga, where "footballing reasons" collide with financials and usually end in either a big move or an awkward reconciliation under a shower of bank notes and regret.
At some point this summer we'll see Sterling grimace while signing on a dotted line - where it is we will have to wait to find out...
Gareth Bale
Wanted by: Man United, Chelsea
Price: £80million+
Real Madrid fans don't seem to like him, his teammates don't tend to pass to himand two superclubs from his homeland both want to - and have the resources to - buy him.
Usually it would be a foregone conclusion.
But that would be to underestimate Gareth Bale's desire to stay in Madrid and his political role in the marble corridors of the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has aligned himself with Bale, backing himto be Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement as the club's big star, and Perez is nothing if not stubborn.
With the Portuguese not getting any younger and far less mobile since his knee injury in 2014, Bale's role will get bigger at the Bernabeu and by all accounts the Welshman is in no rush to give up on his dream in Madrid.
Paul Pogba
Possibly the most complete midfielder in world football, Pogba appears likely to come on the market this summer and his raft of suitors are determined not to miss out on the rare opportunity to pick up someone of his skill set.
The France midfielder is always going to have a certain lure for Manchester United, who saw him walk away for nothing when Juventus nicked him on a Bosman, but it islocal rivals City who are likely to lead the bidding.
It may not be about money in the end though, with Chelsea potentially willing to offer him a home in London and a tilt at domestic and European glory, whileBarcelona may be ready to put something similar on the table.
It is said that the player would prefer Real Madrid, but equally that could just be Mino Raiola at work, with the Monaco-based agent yet another reason why this is a story that could run and run.
And with Raiola also trying to find Zlatan Ibrahimovic a new home there are more strands to this one than it first appears with PSG potentially looking for a new centrepiece for their project.
David De Gea
David De Gea was born in Madrid, his family lives in Madrid, his girlfriend lives in Madrid and he is wanted by a club from Madrid.
David De Gea has one year left on his contract, he has been offered what amounts to a blank piece of paper embossed with 'name your price' on it and has still neglected to extend his current Old Trafford deal.
Real Madrid, arguably the biggest club on the planet, are in for him, United appear tohave already signed a replacement and the notorious Jorge Mendes is the key cog in negotiations.
In the cold light of day, these are facts that make Manchester United fans fear the worst.
But Louis van Gaal won't take it lying down, and should Florentino Perez ditch Carlo Ancelotti then the club's plans may alter with a new head coach. Jurgen Klopp, for example, would be likely to prefer German starlet Bernd Leno should he assume the Bernabeu hotseat. Zinedine Zidane may have someone else in mind if he gets the big job.
There is still a chance that United could hold onto him, and they will grip on for dear life until he has put pen to Spanish paper - meaning this one is set to run and run.
Morgan Schneiderlin
The Southampton midfielder wanted to leave last summer but was talked down off the ledge by Saints and had another impressive campaign.
While not a jaw-dropping season, he did nothing to put off potential suitors and Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to work with the Frenchman again.
But he is not alone, for there are a glut of teams looking for midfield reinforcement that aren't equipped to eat at the top table where people are offering the likes of Paul Pogba £300k a week.
Schneiderlin is an acceptable step down from that elite group and is entering his prime. Arsenal are known long-term followers of the Saints man and have needed midfield steel in each of the last four or five transfer windows.
Francis Coquelin's emergence may have altered Wenger's thinking slightly but with Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta being courted by La Liga clubs there is an obvious opportunity to drop a new, younger face in there.
Spurs meanwhile are favourites as they look to remodel their side more in their manager's image.
This saga is likely to be stretched out by the fact that it features two eternal rivals desperate not to be outdone by each other, and an agent that will be keen to take advantage of that.
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