Rayan Cherki x Lamine Yamal? 'Insane' Barcelona attack mooted as Man City star is told he can emulate fellow entertainers Ronaldinho & Lionel Messi at Camp Nou

Difficult to turn down transfer interest from Barcelona

Despite having to contend with much-publicised financial difficulties, Spanish champions Barca continue to find the funds that allow marquee transfers to be completed. England international

They are forever in the market for the world’s best players, with those that boast match-altering qualities holding obvious appeal to one of the biggest sporting institutions on the planet.

Approaches from Catalunya are difficult for any performer to ignore, with opportunities to grace the iconic Blaugrana jersey often few and far between. Only a select few are considered deserving of such an honour.

Messi, Ronaldinho and Maradona have illuminated Camp Nou

A legendary collection of all-time greats have strutted their stuff in the grandest of footballing cathedrals down the years - including

He certainly boasts the creative instincts to get a demanding fan base on its feet, with the mercurial 22-year-old making headlines in England with

The France international

Could Cherki join Yamal in Catalunya at some point?

Quizzed on whether he can see a fellow countryman becoming the

“In a system that Barcelona plays, if they have Rayan Cherki on top of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, maybe a striker, and behind [Frenkie] de Jong and Pedri, that's insane. That's absolutely insane.

“That's what we have with Paris Saint-Germain, kind of, with [Joao] Neves, Vitinha, [Ousmane] Dembele, [Desire] Doue, [Bradley] Barcola, [Khvicha] Kvaratskhelia. There's a crazy number of those players who can play together with all the talent that they have. But if Cherki can be in the middle, as a number 10, surrounded by those players, insane.”

Cherki contract: Man City enter new era with no need to sell

Premier League giants City are entering a summer of change, with legendary head coach

Cherki helped the Blues to

He should be at his peak when said terms come to a close and potentially ready for a fresh start. At that point, or slightly before as City will want to generate a fee from any sale, it could be that the challenge of following in the footsteps of Ronaldinho and Messi is embraced - if individual standards have been maintained at a level that keeps Barcelona and Co interested.