Possession used to be 9/10ths of the law, or so they said.
But nowadays footballers, or possessions, as we like to describe them, are a fickle bunch, and instead of a club owning them, in reality, the footballers own the club and have them by the unmentionables most of the time.
So it should be interesting to see how this latest tug -of love between Chelsea and Manchester works out if reports this morning prove to be true surrounding the future of teenager Domingos Quina.
The 16-year-old is one of the most-exciting young footballers in Europe, and is at Stamford Bridge since leaving his native Portugal and Benfica at the age of just 13.
The Premier League champions – which still feels weird to write – are well aware the player is anxious to be fast-racked to first team football, but considering his age, and the physical demands of the Premier League, coaches at Chelsea are reluctant to throw in him at the deep end.
And this is where, according to the Sun at least, Mancehster United come in.
Old Trafford once had a reputation as place where young players would be given time to develop, but also, if they were good enough, they were old enough.
The newspaper reports this morning that the 16-year-old is hoping that a switch to Manchester could benefit his career and drop him in the fast-lane to first team senior football.
Of course any possible deal for the 16-year-old central midfielder is likely to have FIFA up in arms, and Manchester United will have to be very careful if they are not to breach rules that has scuppered Barcelona and both Madrid clubs in recent times regarding the signing of young players.
Superb footwork by 15 year old Chelsea FC midfielder Domingos Quina #FFDTV https://t.co/FDyxB0u73V
— FFD.TV (@ffdtvonline) August 27, 2015
https://twitter.com/SportVlnes/status/631140662000402432
