Manchester City have faced questions over their striking options since Sergio Aguero's departure but have not signed an answer yet.
The tricky Argentine was unplayable on his day and has set the standard for what a City talisman should produce going forward forward, amid City's ongoing interest in Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
Their failed summer ploy to bring Kane to the Etihad showed Pep Guardiola was eager to sign a No.9, even if he's suggested otherwise since, with their interest in Haaland showing no signs of relenting.
Guardiola's rotation of false nines this season has been very effective, extinguishing doubts that City might be hamstrung by a lack of striking options.
Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus are a few of the options that have been deployed in that false nine and the sale of Ferran Torres opened up some more funds to sign an Aguero replacement.
But amid varying links to marksmen around Europe, a striker remains City's priority ahead of the summer transfer window.
Haaland is rightly among the most feared attackers in the world after stamping his authority on the Bundesliga by continuing the prolific goalscoring record he boasted at RB Salzburg and Molde.
Fans are desperate to see City prise him away from the Bundesliga to Manchester, where he would surely prove a menacing figure to defenders across the Premier League.
Haaland's style of play is similar to Kane's, which sees the attacker look to be involved in the action by dropping deeper in certain stages of the game. But Kane has struggled to turn his productivity into goals this season, since the fabled City transfer saga.
Despite the success of Foden, Jesus, Sterling and company this season, City are dying for a 'between the posts' striker that would turn them into a complete team.
It's a position Robert Lewandowski has tied down to a tee in Germany with his clinical instinct and poacher-like positioning.
While the Pole scores the aesthetically pleasing goals, he also feeds off scraps with bread and butter strikes.
City's dominance would mean someone like Lewandowski would get a hatful of chances every game. Aguero, who was initially considered more of a No.10 — hence his shirt number at City — turned into a penalty-box poacher who thrived under Guardiola for this very reason.
Jose Mourinho tried to create this dynamic for Kane at Tottenham and enjoyed some reward until his sacking.
As an alternative to Haaland and Kane, City should look to go for an out-and-out number nine who can navigate between the posts and not veer off into other areas of the pitch.
Lewandowski might be too advanced in years, but Dusan Vlahovic or someone similar might be ideal — and a fair bit cheaper than Haaland or Kane.
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