Lionel Messi has Manchester City daring to dream.
They have been here before and had their fingers burned but the noise this time are that things are different: the best footballer in the game has made up his mind to leave the only club he has played at in his professional career and leave Barcelona behind.
For any club that can afford him, signing Messi appears too good to turn down and this is especially true of City - a team that could do with a reliable finisher in high pressure situations, a manager that knows how to get the best out of him, and a club that has put so much effort into tempting him to the Etihad and would view his signing as a crowning moment of the current ownership.
But can Messi play centre-back?
It sounds glib, and it is. Messi would improve City's attack, and a better attack would place less strain on the defence and thus improve that too.
The Blues will also be strengthened by a fully fit Aymeric Laporte after his unfortunate injury last season, while Nathan Ake should bolster the ranks.
But there is a reason why Pep Guardiola was so miffed last season when they balked at Harry Maguire's asking price and subsequently failed to replace Vincent Kompany. Even before Laporte's injury, the manager knew the gamble that had been taken with his squad and it didn't take long to cost the team.
Having looked more stable than ever in dumping Real Madrid out of the Champions League, Lyon exposed all those familiar shortcomings that have caused so much pain over the last 12 months.
That is why City are still hunting a centre-back this summer despite having shelled out £40m on Ake, with Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly the primary target. Messi can do more than anyone else on a football pitch, but solving City's problems in defence feels a stretch too far even for him.
There will have been costing done for Messi and as it stands at this cautious stage there could be room for both the Barcelona forward and a marquee central defender in what would go down as one of the all-time great transfer windows for the club.
However, uncertainty around his clause makes it unclear whether City would be able to sign him for free or face paying a nine-figure fee. There is still a lot that could make this deal, well, complicated.
As mad as it sounds, there must be a point financially or logistically where the Blues are willing to walk away from their dream deal in order to make sure they aren't risking the same issue ruining their chances of glory next season.
