Talk has been rife about the possible exit of Wayne Rooney from Manchester United in the summer. So, would it really be possible for Arsenal to make a move for the England international, if he were made available in the market?
Arsene Wenger himself once said he could only dream of buying a player like Rooney a year or so after United completed the transfer in 2004.
The Arsenal manager's hands were tied at that time due to the move to the Emirates; so competing with United for one of England's hottest properties was out of the question.
However, now, as Wenger himself admitted there is plenty of money available for Arsenal. So a transfer fee of around £25 million ($37.5 million) should not be too much of a problem - the wages of course will be a major stumbling block.
But, before we take things too far (thinking up things too far is more apt considering the nature of the transfer), the likelihood of Rooney leaving Old Trafford in the summer is still very much up for debate, and Sir Alex Ferguson is sure to deny any problem when he speaks to reporters later in the day.
The British press read the snub by Ferguson in leaving out Rooney from the starting lineup against Real Madrid as a clear sign that the manager has grown frustrated with Rooney's inconsistency - although that again can be debated - and could be ready to offload him in the summer.
Ferguson is also reportedly still peeved by Rooney's transfer request in October, 2010, when he questioned the club's ambitions, before eventually signing a lucrative £250,000 a week ($375,000) contract.
Ferguson is ruthless when it comes to deciding on what he believes is the best course of action for the club, as the likes of David Beckham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Dimitar Berbatov, just to name a few, will certainly attest to.
So if indeed Ferguson believes United will be better off getting someone like Robert Lewandowski and selling Rooney, it will most likely happen, as the manager rarely fails to get what he wants.
Nobody in their right mind can question the decisions of Ferguson, such is the respect earned by the Scot. The strategy to play Ryan Giggs, Nani and Danny Welbeck clearly worked against Real, before the unfortunate sending off.
"It's no secret there have been problems between him (Rooney) and the management," a source told the Daily Star.
"Publicly certain people will be saying nothing has changed, despite the fact he was dropped for the Real Madrid game.
"But privately the fact is Wayne is no longer the main man and someone guaranteed to be in the team.
"His value is diminishing with each passing year and this summer is the time to sell him."
So, if there is a problem, then why shouldn't a club like Arsenal take advantage? Everything of course depends on the fact that the Gunners qualify for the Champions League next season, which has become extremely difficult following their 2-1 loss to Tottenham at the weekend.
Rooney's current deal expires in 2015; so with just two years remaining on his contract at the end of the season, his value will not be as much as it could have been had he been tied to a long-term deal.
Arsenal can afford the transfer fee, but the wages will be a hard one to swallow - and whether Rooney will be willing to move to Arsenal, considering their recent form, is a question that needs to be answered.
Even the likes of Manchester City, Barcelona and Real Madrid have been put off by the immense wages earned by the 27-year-old.
Only Paris Saint Germain, it seems, retain an interest. Arsenal should as well, with their strikeforce firing more blanks than usual this season, particularly in the big games.
Rooney can play either behind the frontman or as sole striker, and that suits Wenger well. The England international has not quite hit the heights expected of him when he showed his precocious talent as a teenager. Maybe, Arsenal can reignite the striker's career, which has plateaued over the past few years.
How ironic would it be, if Arsenal were to buy Manchester United's biggest asset, a year after United bought Arsenal's best player - stranger things have happened.