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The footballing world was up for a shock when Spanish giants Barcelona announced they would be forced to part ways with Lionel Messi this summer.
However, that negativity was quickly replaced by the optimism surrounding the news of Messi combining with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in a three-man Paris Saint-Germain attack.
The wait is finally set to be over in the coming weeks when the trio hopefully take to the pitch together for the first time.
It will bring back fond memories of many football fans who have grown up watching the legendary George Best, Dennis Law and Bobby Charlton in attack for Manchester United.
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Managers and their love for three-man attack
Time and again legendary managers have resorted to three-man attacks in order to increase the attacking threats. Dutch side Ajax dominated domestic as well as European football with the trio of Johan Cruyff, Piet Keizer and Sjaak Swart.
More recently Real Madrid had the legendary BBC - Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale - at their disposal. Likewise, Barcelona also had MSN - Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
After all the blockbuster deals to have happened this summer, world football is certainly set to witness many ruthless attacking trios in action.
In the list below, we are going to rank five of the most valuable attacking trios that could be operating together in Europe this season:
#5 Bayern Munich: Sane | Lewandowski | Gnabry (€190m)
The bulk of Bayern Munich's scoring responsibilities have been shared by the trio of Leroy Sane (€60m), Robert Lewandowski (€60m) and Serge Gnabry (€70m).
Sane and Gnabry have been entrusted with the task of replacing the legendary Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery at the club.
Despite the gigantic nature of the job, the duo have done well so far to not only help Lewandowski score goals, but get on the score sheet themselves.
Gnabry is among the Bundesliga's best sprinters, clocking around 20.6mph. He has another of his team-mates, Kingsley Coman, giving him a run for his money in the department and that helps bring the best out of him.
On the other side of the pitch is former Manchester City man Leroy Sane. Sane was the third fastest player of the 2018-19 Premier League season with a top speed of 21.8mph.
Sane is yet to reach his peak for Bayern Munich. However, at 25 he still has years left in him and could be a deadly force in the front three.
Bayern Munich have Lewandowski to spearhead their attack. Even at the age of 32, Lewandowski is arguably the best striker in Europe right now. He finished with 48 goals last season, breaking Gerd Muller's long-standing record of scoring 40 goals in a single season.
The Poland striker is second on the all-time scorers' list in the Bundesliga and has just Muller ahead of him.
Although Lewandowski is a well-rounded striker, he also benefits immensley with the presence of Sane and Gnabry on either side. The trio could wreak further havoc during the 2021-22 season.
#4 Manchester United: Rashford | Greenwood | Sancho (€235m)
Manchester United's attacking trio consists of Jadon Sancho (€100m), Marcus Rashford (€85m) and Mason Greenwood (€50m).
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got the Manchester United fans excited when he spoke about his desire to switch to a more adventurous 4-3-3 formation this season. The signing of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund signals his intentions.
Sancho is an attacking winger and looks like a long-term successor to the number 7 shirt at Old Trafford. Sancho clocked 21.5mph at top speed in the Bundesliga during the 2019-20 season.
And that goes along with his incredible technique and imagination. Sancho's ease to operate in the final third is noteworthy. He can go left or right past the defender and then score or assist with equal efficiency, no matter what side he starts on.
Sancho's partner on the other flank will be the Red Devils' number 10 Marcus Rashford. The Englishman can take defenders on at will, beating them not just with his pace but also with his exceptional dribbling skills.
Both Sancho and Rashford are expected to cut in and support young striker Greenwood, who could often be deployed in a central role this season. The young academy graduate is expected to make further improvements to his finishing skills as time goes on.
The trio also have age on their side and could go on to write their names in Manchester United's history books.
#3 Liverpool: Firmino | Mane | Salah (€235m)
Liverpool's attacking trio have stood the test of time and are still rated pretty highly across Europe. Firmino (€50m), Salah (€100m) and Mane (€85m), despite their advancing years, still carry the hopes of the Merseyside team on their shoulders.
Both Mane and Firmino are good at tracking back and recovering the ball. They then feed Salah, who is good at losing defenders and scoring goals.
Salah has developed a knack for scoring for the Merseyside club. The one he scored on the opening day of the season against Norwich City made him the first player in Premier League history to score in five successive opening day fixtures.
A lot of credit for that goes to his two attacking partners. Firmino is good at pressing opponents in their own half and winning the ball. That stops counter-attacking football from other teams and increases Liverpool's chances of scoring.
On to yet another season with a strengthened defense at their disposal, there is no reason to doubt their ability to weave magic on the pitch yet again.
#2 Chelsea: Havertz | Lukaku | Mount (€245m)
Chelsea made a huge investment in order to bring back Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan.
Lukaku (€100m) is now looking to team up with his two other attacking team-mates, Kai Havertz (€70m) and Mason Mount (€75m) to give Chelsea's attack a lethal edge.
Both Havertz and Mount are equally capable of finding the back of the net. The 18 goals they scored between themselves last season are proof of what they are capable of.
With the addition of Lukaku, a proven Premier League goal scorer, Chelsea's attack will get a new look.
Havertz and Mount tend to play more centrally and will be reliant on their attacking full-backs to provide them with the ball. They can then feed Lukaku upfront.
Standing at 6 ft 3 inches, Lukaku will also give Chelsea's attack an aerial threat. Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel will hope that Lukaku brings with him his goal scoring form from Inter Milan last season.
This could prove essential when competing with the big clubs in England and Europe.
#1 PSG: Messi | Neymar | Mbappe (€340m)
The move of the summer involved Argentine legend Lionel Messi, who left Barcelona after 21 years to join his former team-mate Neymar at PSG.
A deal had previously been agreed between the Spanish club and Lionel Messi to extend the stay. However, La Liga's financial regulations meant that Barcelona were unable to retain their longest serving player.
Barcelona's loss was PSG's gain. The Ligue 1 club signed Messi on a new two-year contract, taking the overall valuation of their attacking trio up to €340m.
Each of Neymar (€100m), Messi (€80m) and Kylian Mbappe (€160m) can offer pace and quality on the ball to PSG, making them a deadly combination. They are also capable of switching positions seamlessly, never giving opposing defenders a moment of peace.
Although Neymar's goals and assists have declined since 2017, a steady increase is expected when he teams up with his former Barcelona team-mate Messi.
Alongside Messi and Neymar will be one of the world's most valuable stars, Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has finished as Ligue 1's top scorer for the last three seasons and one can expect similar things from him this season should he remain at the club.
It will be a serious challenge for PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino to cope with so many larger-than-life personalities. Despite that, PSG will still benefit from the Messi-Neymar-Mbappe combination on the pitch.
It will be interesting to see how the trio operate in the Champions League, where PSG will be aiming for nothing short of a triumph.
