Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. He would undoubtedly improve Manchester City and could be the extra spark they need in Europe. He would fit into Pep Guardiola's system seamlessly, and it would be a joy to watch him grace the Premier League.
But City should not sign him if he becomes available this summer, however tempting it would be.
It's easy to get excited over recent reports coming from Spain as Barcelona and the Spanish media try to pick up the pieces from the crushing 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich last week, where years of problems came to the boil over a devastating 90 minutes.
Apparently, Messi has decided enough is enough and wants to leave the Nou Camp, with City favourites among bookmakers to be his next destination. One report even suggests City will offer Messi 'whatever he wants' in wages to reunite with Guardiola.
Messi is reportedly already the highest paid player in world football, which considering there is no better player than him seems fair. Whether City could afford such astronomical wages is where the doubts start to creep in.
Forgetting the logistics of any release clauses, transfer fees and sponsorship agreements, is it worth such an outlay on wages on a player who would probably only offer two or three more seasons at the highest level?
And with the greatest respect to arguably the best player to kick a football, that level will decline in the coming years. Even if he would remain better than the majority of the opponents he faced, is the physicality of the Premier League the best place to end a glorious career?
Of course, City have a space in their squad for an attacking midfielder with David Silva's departure. Add Messi in the mix alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and the potential of Phil Foden, and City would be dreaming of the Champions League trophy that continues to elude them.
Plus, in fairness, the club have history in recent years of offering the some of the world's best a final swansong. Patrick Vieira and Frank Lampard hardly flopped, but they were not a long-term solution.
Ultimately, there are more pressing areas to strengthen this season, not least defence.
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If City are to invest a significant amount in a new player over the next two years, it should be a world class centre-back option or a long-term replacement for Sergio Aguero, whose contract expires next summer. Messi is good, but he fits into neither of those categories.
The romantic City fan with Blue tinted glasses may dream of seeing Messi glide around the Etihad in a sky blue shirt, but a level-headed view would be that this is a prospective transfer that would kick City's real issues one or two seasons down the line and make them harder to deal with when they eventually had to be addressed.
Still, there's no harm in dreaming.
