Football FanCast columnist Alex Dimond looks at both Manchester City and Chelsea's proposed move for Ronaldinho and feels that such a transfer will pay for itself.

The former President of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, had a saying - "The most expensive players are also the cheapest." It became something of a motto for the club throughout his tenure, as the club pursued its infamous ‘galactico' policy. The premise was simple - while big players cost big money, the outlay would be more than recouped by the commercial benefits such marquee names brought.

Following this policy, Real spent £38.7m on Luis Figo in 2000, and followed it up with the £46m capture of Zinedine Zidane a year later. Both are still the most expensive transfers ever. Yet, in reality, they were remarkably profitable transfers for the club. How many "Figo 7" or "Zidane 5" shirts were sold while they were at the club? How many Asian fans (at the time an emerging market) were attracted to Real as a result of their transfer activity? Adding David Beckham (£25m) to the squad in 2003 only accentuated these effects - the prestige of Real Madrid and quality of their players became a marketing dream. Unfashionable players like Claude Makelele were offloaded - but for good money (£16.2m). While such tactics did not lead to great success on the pitch, it certainly was a success with Real's bankers.

Perez has now gone, usurped in club elections by Ramon Calderon - a man who has overseen a change in policy. The addition of Wesley Sneijder, Fernando Gago, Pepe and Gonzalo Higuain demonstrates a move towards signing talented players, regardless of their marketability. This has led to an upturn in the club's fortunes, with back-to-back La Liga successes. But it is not easy for a leopard to change its spots, and vestiges of the old regime remain. Jose Angel Sanchez, Real's Chief Executive, was brought to club 8 years ago by Perez, as he seemed to best understand Perez's targets. Staying on as part of the new regime, Sanchez has seen his club win the league without ever igniting the fans, flounder in Europe and watched on as Asian fans spent their money elsewhere, not content with the excitement provided by the likes of Higuain and Gago. For Sanchez, something needed to be done.

With this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that Real have been so bold in their recent pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo. At this moment in time, he is arguably unique in world football - a player who can immediately improve any team, and also guarantee the sale of millions of shirts. Rumours suggest that, when it comes, Madrid's opening offer will be £40m and Robinho (who himself must be worth £15m-£20m). As Manchester United will no doubt reject this opening gambit, they will be forced to offer even more money. But, if the memory of Perez lives on, this will not be a deterrent for the club, or its financiers, as the potential profits are astronomical.

What, then, does this example demonstrate for other clubs? If nothing else, it underlines the benefits that come from having a ‘marquee' player on the books - while useful on the pitch; they make a massive impact on a club's bank balance and world prestige - allowing other great players to be attracted. This summer, there is one such player available for transfer - Ronaldinho. Yet, perhaps surprisingly, few clubs appear to be actively chasing his signature. Question marks surround his fitness and attitude, deterring most managers. But two clubs, Manchester City and Chelsea, seem to be genuinely interested in the Brazilian - with financial considerations high amongst their list of motivations.

For Manchester City, the benefits of having Ronaldinho are obvious. He will certainly improve their team, whether he is mentally focused or not. Last term he scored 8 goals in just 17 league games, all while (apparently) hung-over. That sort of quality would certainly add to City's squad. But, off the pitch, he could propel Manchester City into the big-time. Thaksin Sinawatra, an obviously ambitious (if perhaps misguided) chairman, wants Manchester City to become one of the biggest clubs in the world. The club already enjoy a big presence in Asia, as a result of having China's Sun Jihai on their books for the best part of a decade. In a country of over 1bn people, it is a massive market that has been far from saturated. For all his apparent faults Ronaldinho, as one of the most recognisable players in the world, would certainly give the club a bigger slice of the Asian market. Shinawatra, seemingly sharing many of the dictatorial traits of Perez, looks to have bought into the Spaniard's philosophy - and who is to say it won't prove a masterstroke? Apparently offering Ronaldinho £200,000 a week, this surely only serves to demonstrate the huge amount of revenue the club believe his signature will generate.

For Chelsea, the reasons for chasing Ronaldinho are similar. Man Utd have Ronaldo, Arsenal have Cesc, Liverpool have Torres/Gerrard - all marquee players that are portray their club around the globe. Chelsea, perhaps as a testament to their strength in depth, has no such player - and the main candidates (Lampard, Drogba) might well leave in the summer. In China, 5m fans are actively following the Euros, supporting recognised players rather than the teams they play for. Ronaldinho, if signed, would become the face of Chelsea. Abramovich, for so long desperate to make Chelsea a global brand, would finally have a player that could give him that.

For fans, however, the main question is whether Ronaldinho will perform on the pitch - especially as his transfer will not come cheap. Yes, the Brazilian had his troubles last season, and was obviously a disruptive influence in a poor season for the Catalan giants. But it should not be forgotten that, only two summers ago, he led his club to Champions League glory - and was undisputedly the best player in the world. Only 28, it would be foolish to write off a player that has won everything the game has to offer, all with a smile on his face. Equally, however, it would be foolish to write off any club chairmen that wish to sign him.

NB - Alex Dimond is competing in our Bloggers Euro Championship so if you can give his article a rating in the voting box, it would be greatly appreciated.