The agent of Wolfsburg's Belgian playmaker Kevin de Bruyne has claimed that Manchester City are among a host of clubs to have made "informal contact" with the German club over his client.
However, with Paris Saint-Germain and, unsurprisingly, Bayern Munich both also interested in the 23-year-old, his already hefty price tag could be driven up - so is he worth getting into a bidding war over?
The simple statistics would suggest yes. After joining Wolfsburg from Chelsea in January 2014, de Bruyne registered eight assists and three goals for the rest of the season - a more than respectable total for a player at a new club, though he was familiar with the Bundesliga from his time on loan with Werder Bremen.
This season, however, de Bruyne has announced himself as one of the most exciting young players in world football, with 15 goals and an almost incomprehensible 27 assists in just 48 games, meaning that he has contributed to a goal in some way every 0.88 games for his club.
David Silva's ratio of goals or assists per game stands at 0.6, while the only player at the Etihad to better De Bruyne's record this season is, rather predictably, Sergio Agüero at 1.03.
However, statistics rarely tell you the whole story in football, and it is rather the manner of De Bruyne's play this season which has won him so many plaudits. He has profited from the form of 19-goal Dutch striker Bas Dost, but that should not take away from the sheer brilliance of some of his assists, consistently delivered on a fraction of a sixpence.
If José Mourinho had some questions about his work-rate and attitude during De Bruyne's difficult spell at Stamford Bridge, that all now appears to be in the Belgium international's past. He has bulked up, devoted his spare time to training and is more of a team player than ever before.
One criticism which could not be levelled at him is his ability to turn up for the big occasions, as his Man of the Match performance in Wolfsburg's 4-1 demolition of Bayern Munich showed. In the aftermath of the tragic death of young team-mate Junior Malanda, De Bruyne played like a man possessed, creating the opening goal and scoring two for himself. Given Manchester City's recent tendency to freeze in the spotlight - notably in the Champions League - a player of his temperament could prove an invaluable purchase.
But is he really what Manuel Pellegrini - or any potential replacement - needs at the Etihad? The simple answer would be yes, as in truth there isn't a team in the world who wouldn't be improved by his arrival, as shown by Bayern and PSG's reported interest.
City's squad is ageing, and has lost a good deal of the dynamism which saw them storm to their 2012 Premier League title and rather stumble over the line in 2014. The over-reliance on Agüero needs to be addressed with goals from midfield and, with Yaya Touré a shadow of his former self and rumoured to be jetting off to Milan, De Bruyne could prove the single stone Pellegrini returns to fell these two problematic birds - though a change in system could be needed to facilitate his arrival.
If nothing else, his signing would be a powerful statement of intent for City following a season where their signings have failed to inspire. While Chelsea added Diego Costa, Cesc Fàbregas and Thibaut Courtois to the ranks, the addition of Fernando, error-prone Eliaquim Mangala and thus far goal-shy Wilfried Bony for a combined total of around £70million seems an emblem of their 2014-15 as a whole; high hopes which have largely gone unfulfilled.
De Bruyne would not be the only answer. City need a serious squad overhaul if they are to challenge Chelsea next year or make any sort of positive impact in Europe, but the dynamic young midfielder would be a step in the right direction.