There are several obvious reasons why AC Milan are tempted to take on Carlos Tevez, now surplus and sulking at Manchester City.
The Argentine's undoubted ability and - when minded - his galvanising effect on a team's attack are clearly the chief ones.
Milan also have a potential vacancy, with uncertainty of how soon Antonio Cassano will get the go-ahead to return to action following his heart operation.
The club have a yen for picking up high-profile stars for bargain prices. They snapped up Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was unhappy at Barcelona, for less than half the price Barca had paid Inter for him 12 months earlier; they got Cassano, who had fallen out with Sampdoria, for free.
Robinho's price had dropped because he was itching to leave City.
Rewind further and they have a history of catching falling stars, as in the cases of Ronaldinho, Brazil's Ronaldo and the loanee David Beckham.
The skill of Max Allegri, the head coach, in getting the best of temperamental individuals such as Cassano, Ibrahimovic, the hotheaded Kevin-Prince Boateng and Robinho was superbly advertised with last season's Serie A title.
But Milan should beware testing Allegri's man-management too far. The combustible Tevez, ushered out of City because he refused to warm-up as a substitute in a Champions League match, could easily become the ingredient that spoils an already spicy dish.
