There are a lot of reasons why an elite footballer might want to sign for Manchester City.
There's the promise of trophies, working under Pep Guardiola, the chance to play with top players and the assurance that they will be paid handsomely for the pleasure of doing so.
One such elite player that City are interested in is Erling Haaland. If City want to end their quest to sign a striker by securing the services of the Borussia Dortmund man, then they will have to compete with a number of other top European clubs.
However, if what football journalist and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has said is anything to go by, then City fans should be confident that Haaland will make the blue half of Manchester his new home.
During an exclusive interview with Alan Feehely of Football Espana, Romano opened up about potential next destinations for the Norwegian goal machine.
"Erling Haaland is always deciding about the project," Romano said. "Ok, money is important for every single player in the world, for his agent [Mino] Raiola and his family, but if you look at Haaland's mentality... I'm told he is exactly the same right now.
"He said no to Juventus when he was at Molde because he wanted to play, so he joined Salzburg. Then he had the chance to join Manchester United or Juventus, but he chose Borussia Dortmund because of the project and because it was the right step."
Those words should be music to the ears of all City fans.
In recent years, City have developed their transfer strategy so that they no longer have to be the highest bidder in order to sign a player. Admittedly, using the allure of the greatest coach in football has played no small part in that.
However, what Guardiola has brought to City will remain in place well after he has left the club. The Catalan has created a culture of meticulous work and attention to detail at every level of the club. The first team, reserves and youth teams all play in the same style, all singing from the same hymn sheet.
The legacy that Guardiola will leave behind will ensure that City operate with the efficiency they currently do for years to come - there is a clear strategy in place.
Even if Guardiola doesn't stick around beyond the end of his current contract in 2023, that must be appealing to an elite player like Haaland. City know how to get the best out of their stars.
The footballing project at City stands in stark contrast to the situation on the other side of Manchester.
Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as United manager in 2013, the club has changed identity more times than a chameleon.
The four coaches that have sat in the Old Trafford dugout over the past eight years have all brought different styles, adopted different systems and bought players of different profiles. There has been no consistency from one to the next.
Behind the scenes at United, transfers business is conducted like a supermarket sweep - such lack of foresight and planning hardly constitutes a sound footballing project.
If Haaland chooses to join City, he would be joining a club that has a long-term plan that is achievable thanks to the structural and cultural changes that Guardiola has helped to implement at the club.
Given the short-term vision of many of Europe's other leading clubs, Haaland would be wise to make the Etihad Stadium his next destination.
Would you like to see Haaland at City? Follow City Is Ours writer Alex Brotherton on Twitter to join the conversation and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
