Carlos Soler is the latest Spanish player to attract interest from the elite clubs of the English top flight.
The young, personable, born and bred Valenciano has a buy-out clause of 150m euros.
With just about 14 months on his current deal and not much progress made on contract extension talks, a move from Spain's third city looks more likely by the day if they are to avoid losing him for free at the end of next season.
Born and raised in the city, Soler has been at Valencia for the past 18 years, signing for the academy at age seven after being spotted kicking the ball around on soil pitches during half-time of games. He refused to join a team because he wanted the ball for himself. He registered for a Game Boy after being promised one by his grandad.
Valencia saw his true potential when he was a forward who would bang in about 100 goals a season in the junior ranks. He was never out of place when he played with football players three years older than him.
His first major influence was his grandfather, who took time off work to ferry him around to training and matches from the age of about seven, until Carlos obtained his driving licence when he was 18.
He says that his parents worked, but he was taken off the afternoons to give him strength to train.
I would have had to find other ways and he was always there for me.
He lived to see that I would play for Valencia. My father and brother were also pillars of strength for me. And you know what? We take for granted the amount of time you were given as a kid by the people around you.
Soler keeps his feet on the ground, maintaining a close friendship with those he has known since his school days.
He says that there are five of them who he has known since he was seven or eight years old and who he still goes out to eat and watch football with.
They have helped keep me in the elite because at the end of the day it is important that we remember where we came from.
He made his debut with Valencia's first team in December 2016 at the age of 18 and has been a starter ever since.
He is now playing as a centralMidfielder in a double pivot with Valencia in a 4-4-2 system or as a Midfielder with more freedom in the 4-3-3 format used by the national side.
His ability to launch sorties into the box from the middle of the field is his real strength. He is a great passer of the ball and was brought off the bench to take every free-kick in a youth tournament. He still delivers on time.
The fans of the Valencia side look to put their mark on any game. He scored three penalties against Real Madrid. He is a goal scorer in the middle of the field, with 12 goals and nine assists, which is more than any other player in 2020.
His offensive skills, intelligence, assists, set-pieces, accuracy and shots from outside the box explain why many in Spain and England compare him to Frank Lampard.
He says that anyone with pretensions of succeeding in the English game would like to be compared to Frank Lampard.
For the time being, Soler will not be drawn on his future other than to say that he needs to grow as much as possible in his career.
He says the most impressive thing about the Premier League is how it has evolved not just by being so physical but also because of the furious rhythm at which it is played.
He says it's a rhythm where you have to be prepared physically and mentally.
The recent Manchester City v league game was crazy and played at a rhythm where it sometimes looked like there was nothing in the middle.
If they want to be an important part of the game, they have to run 12 km each.
Before deciding his future, he has the chance to add to his medal tally when Valencia play Real Betis in the final of the Copa del Rey on Saturday at La Cartuja Stadium in Sevilla.
The kid who did not want to share the ball and used to ask fans outside the Mestalla for spare tickets so he could watch the team will lead them out as one of the captains of this beloved Valencia.
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