Club Brugge made clear internally shortly after winning the Belgian title that a departure for Tresoldi this summer was not up for discussion, regardless of the fee on the table. Barely a month later, however, AS Roma have already tabled €35m for the club's top scorer, a sum still considered insufficient by Brugge but significant enough to underline the scale of interest building around the 21-year-old, with the transfer window not even into August yet.
Manchester United's own motivation is tied partly to uncertainty over Joshua Zirkzee, who struggled for game time last season and has been strongly linked with a return to Italy, leaving the club assessing alternative options up front.
Tresoldi, who is eligible for Italy, Germany and Argentina but represents Germany at Under-21 level, joined Brugge from Hannover 96 last summer on a four-year deal after coming through the German club's academy, and scored 23 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions in an outstanding debut season that yielded the Belgian title.
He had initially bought into Brugge's plan for him to stay for one further season before departing through the front door, but how long that agreement holds firm remains to be seen, particularly if Roma continue to increase their offer or if United decide to move for him in earnest.
Brugge's history in these situations offers little reassurance that their stance will hold: previous prospects Charles De Ketelaere and Ardon Jashari were both subject to similar insistence that they would stay, only for big-money moves to eventually follow.
For now, Brugge's position remains that Tresoldi is not for sale at any price, but with Roma's offer already exceeding club expectations and United's interest growing, the coming weeks are likely to test that resolve significantly, particularly given Brugge have already cashed in on winger Christos Tzolis, sold to Arsenal for €40m earlier this summer.