In a perfect world, Harry Kane would be preparing to make his Manchester City debut against his old club Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
However, either side of his Euro 2020 exploits and the drama this summer transfer window has provided, City and the England captain himself are no closer to finding a solution.
Having coasted to a third Premier League title in four years, in addition to winning another Carabao Cup, the onus was not on Pep Guardiola to make the first move this summer.
That’s despite the Spaniard falling at the final hurdle in his quest to win European honours on these shores.
Indeed, that particular baton fell to neighbours Manchester United, who duly obliged by making a double statement of intent; namely in the form of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane. City responded with a £100million deal for Jack Grealish — but the proverbial bar has now been raised, once again.
Amid what has been a whirlwind week in the transfer market — one which was supposed to have been suppressed by the Covid-19 pandemic — City and other would-be suitors passed up a fleeting opportunity to sign Barcelona icon Lionel Messi.
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Ultimately, the decision was taken out of their hands as he settled on France and big-spending PSG, who represent a formidable adversary as the charge for that elusive Champions League trophy prepares to recommence.
City are edging closer to their European dream, but now is the time to strike to achieve that goal this season.
Having turned their attentions to Grealish on the back of his swashbuckling performances for Aston Villa — and then England at Euro 2020 — the noise from City is that a subsequent pursuit for Kane is ‘not financially viable’.
Now that is a perfectly valid reason, but the deal struck up between Messi and PSG has changed the game.
It’s well-documented that Guardiola, for all his success across in Spain, Germany and now England, has not claimed the biggest prize of them all without Messi in his ranks.
There is a sense of irony here, too, in that the iconic Argentine presents his biggest challenge to end that particular, if a little weighted, hoodoo this campaign.
The answer? City have to fight fire with fire.
A move for wantaway Tottenham striker Kane is not deemed to be financially viable, as things stand, but those key figures responsible for transfers at the Etihad Stadium have the power to cash-in on fringe players who would allow them to generate the necessary funds.
That might not have been a priority had Messi not teamed-up with Neymar, once again, and Kylian Mbappe.
As the kick-off to this season rapidly draws in, though, there is enough time for those in the boardroom to crunch some numbers and make the unviable, viable. The opportunity to sign Messi won’t come around, once again, while City might only get one chance to lure Kane.
No matter what it costs, they simply have to have it. Straight away.
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