Manchester City believe that if Lionel Messi ever decided to leave Barcelona then they would be in pole position to sign him.
That, of course, is a very big 'if' - as City themselves have always privately acknowledged - although such is the depth of their relationship with Messi and his family, particularly father Jorge Horacio, that if the impossible ever became possible there are still substantial grounds to believe he could eventually move to the Etihad Stadium.
"A club with the financial capacity like Manchester City can sign any player in the world and it's no surprise they focus on players from Barcelona," Barca defender Gerard Pique said ahead of the Champions League tie between the sides at the Nou Camp this evening.
City courted Luis Suarez before he joined Barcelona. They have also spoke to Neymar's representatives before he joined the club. The Brazilian is due to renew his contract later this week, signing a five-year deal that will make him the club's highest-paid player, at least until the completion of the contract negotiations are set to take place with Messi.
The Argentine remains the holy grail for City. They also want to find the next Messi, with the club searching across the world and developing their academy to unearth him.
The appointment of Pep Guardiola, such an influence on Messi's career and development, as City manager added to the axis of power-brokers at City who worked together at Barcelona, the others being chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain. Guardiola has said he joined City because of his close friendship with Begiristain.
Prising Messi away will be far more difficult. Even though he was unsettled by his conviction for tax fraud in July, Messi is understood to be happy with life in Barcelona.
The club have worked hard to ensure that is the case. The pounds WeAreAllLeoMessi social media campaign, which was launched after his court case, was just the kind of pandering to the ego that usually makes a player feel wanted.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has indicated that Messi will sign a new deal at the club soon. His current contract expires in 2018 and Bartomeu has said that Barca are preparing a "contract for life", which would suggest a five-year agreement for the 29-year-old that would effectively place him in golden handcuffs. It is hard to see him playing beyond 34 given the demands on him and his desire to see out his playing days at Barca.
But the situation could change over the next five years - it is not so long ago that his relationship with coach Luis Enrique was tense - and, though it would be astronomically expensive to sign him, City will maintain the dialogue. Not least because of Soriano's friendship with Messi's father.
Other English clubs would try to recruit Messi should he become available. City would also face strong competition from abroad, in particular Paris St-Germain, who could offer a less demanding domestic competition than the Premier League. But if Messi was ever to come to England, City would expect to get him.
Therefore, Guardiola's influence should not be underestimated. His role in Messi's development, in helping to turn him into an all-time great, is well documented. According to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in his book I Am Zlatan, Messi went to Guardiola to tell him he did not want to play "on the right wing any more, I want to play in the centre" as a way to lever the Swede out of Barcelona. "I was the striker," the Swede wrote. "Guardiola didn't give a damn about that, though. He changed the tactical formation. Guardiola had to listen to him."
The account from the authorised book Pep Confidential puts it differently, saying the coach had a light-bulb moment in 2009, when he realised Messi would be best used as a 'false nine' forward. The then 21-year-old underwent underwent an intense, late-night video coaching session in Guardiola's office on to how to play the role. That was before Ibrahimovic signed for the club.
The truth probably lies somewhere between the two accounts, with Messi placing Guardiola under some pressure but the coach realising that he would better off backing the wildly talented younger man.
Another line in Ibrahimovic's book said that "Messi, Xavi and Iniesta always obeyed without protest. They were like schoolboys. I am not like that".
Iniesta and Messi will be in the team tonight to greet Guardiola, himself once an obedient Barca pupil. The bond between them is incredibly strong. If Messi ever decided to leave, City would head the queue.