It might be interesting to find out this scam was executed.
I have a feeling, based on the dates, that RM never actually saw Niasse play in the flesh so the deal might have been concocted by the agents and based on videos, data comparisons, etc. Who actually recommended him? What due diligence was undertaken? Who saw him play in Russia or Europe?
The thing is that Niasse is frankly poor and not even in the 4 million pound range let alone the 13/14 million range plus agents fees, etc. If he's on a four year deal at say 60K a week the entire loss is getting towards 27/28 million, a huge sum.
After the Fat Sam and the Warnock scandals, anything is possible...