In the end, everything was settled over a bank holiday weekend.On Friday, 22 May, Manchester City improved upon its original offer to three-time Golden Boot-winning striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw.Late on Sunday night, personal terms were agreed.On Monday afternoon, just before City’s joint parade to celebrate their senior men’s team’s domestic cup double and their women’s team’s Women’s Super League title, Shaw signed her name on the dotted line on a four-year deal. The salary makes her the highest-paid women’s footballer in the world, according to sources who, like all mentioned in this article, chose to remain anonymous to protect relationships.Then, she momentarily combusted the world of women’s football, settling a transfer saga that could have dragged well into the summer heat.The impulse in the days since has been to use words like “U-turn” and “cave”. There is a rationale behind it. In fact, in the days leading up to the parade, there was some doubt from staff and players of whether Shaw would participate in the parade or what her role would be, according to multiple team sources.No one, other than the players and those immediately involved in negotiations, knew a new deal was in the works at the time.Then, moments before being welcomed on stage at the Coop Arena next to City’s Etihad Stadium, members of staff were made aware that Shaw had signed a new contract hours earlier and was set to make her announcement imminently. The admission seemed to arrive in slow motion.Shaw’s future was mentioned, to some confusion from the players and the fans, before she told the crowd: “I’m still here, I’m still hungry and there’s no place I’d rather be.”Some players were aware of the news ahead of time, but most of the team only found out in that moment. The shock on many teammates’ faces emphasised just how remarkably quickly circumstances changed.Several of Khadija Shaw’s teammates looked stunned as she announced her new contract on stage. (Lewis Storey / Getty Images)Less than a month prior, Shaw’s future seemed all but destined to continue with another club. In April, news of a £1 million-a-year offer from Chelsea surfaced. By 7 May, the day after City became WSL champions, news swirled that Shaw was set to leave the club after there was a breakdown over those exact negotiations. Even her closest friends on the team were unaware of her next move.While the pace of the situation radically changed, there was one constant, sources say: director of women’s football Therese Sjogran and managing director Charlotte O’Neill never wanted Shaw to leave Manchester City and never allowed conversations to fully come to a halt.As Shaw’s impending contract expiration grew closer, Sjogran and O’Neill made their sentiment clear to both Shaw and the club’s board. The women’s leadership group, in conjunction with the board, tried to find ways to keep Shaw at the club she joined in 2021 from Bourdeaux, with whom she has since broken virtually every goalscoring record.