There is a certain amount of sauce on the Harry Kane and Dele Alli to Real Madrid stories.
They are Tottenham's most important players and Madrid are about to face them so you'd expect nothing more from the Spanish club than a mischievous link or two to their rival's biggest assets.
But underneath the sauce there is also a sizeable chunk of meaty substance, in Kane's case in particular. They know all about him, they are watching him, and he's a definite option for the summer of 2018.
There are three principle reasons why Florentino Perez might be picking up the phone to Daniel Levy for the first time since he handed over £89million for Gareth Bale in 2013: Real Madrid need a centre-forward, Kane has admirers in high places who have told Madrid that he is worth their attention and Perez knows the worth of a marketable Englishman like no other European club president.