Manchester City smashed the British transfer record on Thursday evening to complete the £100million signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa.
After triggering a clause the England international's contract, City secured the services of the attack-minded midfield architect, landing him on a five-year contract.
His arrival at the Etihad Stadium will significantly boost manager Pep Guardiola's attacking options, leaving the former Barcelona chief with no shortage of options for when it comes to deciding on his best starting line-up.
In the build-up to City's announcement of confirming that Grealish had completed his move to the Etihad Stadium, Barcelona confirmed that Lionel Messi would leave the club after 21 years service after failing to sign a new contract. Unsurprisingly, the Argentinian sensation was immediately linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium and a reunion with Guardiola.
Although nothing is yet set in stone, all of the pointers suggest that Messi is going to join French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, meaning every English football supporters dream of seeing him in the Premier League is not likely to come true. Nevertheless, City could be able to unleash their own Messi-esque type of player in Grealish.
That is because Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who has played with both Grealish and Messi, compared City's latest recruit to the former Barcelona starlet earlier this year, insisting he sees Grealish as "Messi with a right foot."
Martinez told talkSPORT back in February: "He is the most talented player I’ve ever seen. He never gives the ball away.
"When I see Grealish running, it’s always a shot on target or a corner for us. He will drive past two or three players.
"I just see Messi with a right foot when he has the ball. You can’t get the ball off him. He’s the most talented English player and I’m surprised he hasn’t played more games for England.
"Messi is Messi, he’s the best ever.
"But in terms of training, when Jack has the ball, people don’t want to tackle him, they respect him, he can finish, he can chop, he can do everything.
“When I train with Messi for the national team, it’s the same.
“Nobody wants to touch him, he chops people, he treats players like cones. I see that with Jack here."
It is quite the comparison to make, but Martinez has clearly seen enough from playing alongside Grealish that there are similarities.
Of course it is hard to rank many players up there in the same category as Messi, but it is bound to excite City's supporters that they have signed a player who has even been spoken about in the same breathe as a player who many insist is the greatest to have ever played the game.
The prospect of adding Messi to the ranks this summer is seemingly a no-go area, meaning City will be hoping that Grealish can be the latest X-Factor addition to Guardiola's pool of special talent.
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