It is less than six months since teenage Brazilian Rayan joined Bournemouth from his boyhood club Vasco da Gama, but in that short time, the 19-year-old has turned heads across the footballing world and forced his way into Carlo Ancelotti's squad for the World Cup.
Links to Liverpool are an obvious match. Mohamed Salah, who played in his position, left the club after nine years this summer. New Reds boss Andoni Iraola joined from Bournemouth with an impressive record of improving young players, and got a bewitching tune out of Rayan from the off after his arrival on the south coast.
The Basque confounded expectations by throwing the youngster straight into the fray against Wolves just four days after his arrival, and was rewarded as Rayan assisted Alex Scott for Bournemouth's second goal.
Before the game, Iraola said: "I am really happy to sign Rayan. I think he has been training [well] the past days with us. Obviously, it's a big change for him but he was really happy and also excited."
"He's been good training and he is ready for tomorrow. He will be a good help in this moment. We have to be careful with him in the sense that he's 19: he's making a big jump, a big change to a different country."
Rayan added goals in each of his next two games for Bournemouth, taking his goal contributions to three from his first three. Speaking to TNT Sports after a draw with Sunderland on the occasion of the winger's fifth appearance, Iraola was effusive in his praise but was keen to stress how Rayan was still adapting to life in the Premier League.
"Probably he needs still to adapt to the rhythm of the Premier League so he can be more continuous in his appearances," Iraola said, "but I'm really happy because he's giving us a lot."
"I think it has been really easy [for him to fit into the group]. It's true that he doesn't speak English, but he has Evanilson there helping all the time and - more or less - Spanish and Portuguese are pretty similar, so we can understand each other and I'm really happy with him."
These are important points to consider if Liverpool were to move for Rayan, in the light of a new report from Brazilian outlet RTI Esporte which claimed Vasco are paying close attention to the player's situation with a transfer to Liverpool a possibility - as they would be set to receive 5% of any future transfer fee as development compensation under FIFA regulations.
Rayan finished the season with five goals and two assists from just 13 starts in the Premier League - an incredible start to life for a new arrival from outside Europe's top five leagues, let alone a teenager moving outside of his home country (and the club at which he trained since he was six) for the first time.
But, like Iraola and his high-intensity style, he will need to adapt to the demands of playing twice a week at the highest level. Thanks to their sixth-place finish, Bournemouth will enter the Europa League for the first time in their history next season - giving the winger the opportunity to make the adjustment at a club with a very real chance of winning the competition.
Liverpool have also seen first-hand how difficult it can be to integrate a player who doesn't speak English. Darwin Nunez took longer than typically expected to get to grips with the language, but he lacked the advantage of a manager who could speak to him in a tongue he understood.
That wouldn't be an issue if he were to follow Iraola to Anfield, but - Alisson aside - Liverpool's squad isn't replete with Spanish and Portuguese speakers in the same way it was just a couple of seasons ago.
More time at Bournemouth would give Rayan the chance to become more confident in speaking and understanding English as well as reaching the physical level required to play regularly for Liverpool.
RTI Esporte claim that Rayan's release clause is currently set at £130m - a figure in line with previous reports which also suggested this clause will reduce over time, as was the case with Antoine Semenyo before his move to Manchester City.
This would make the Brazilian Liverpool's most expensive player of all time, exceeding even the initial £125m paid to Newcastle for Alexander Isak - though the report suggests the fee could be negotiated down.
In any case, buying Rayan this summer would cost Liverpool an arm and a leg just half a season into his Bournemouth career. But with Liverpool in need of a replacement right winger now, it's easy to see why his name keeps coming up.
Broad-shouldered and standing at 6'2", Rayan possesses the kind of power most wingers simply don't - which he combines effortlessly with a low centre of gravity and the capacity to drop his shoulder this way and that to befuddle defenders and glide past them.
His brawny approach to dribbling suits transitional play more than standing his man up like Rio Ngumoha or Yan Diomande, and Rayan was often seen carrying the ball through the centre of the pitch on the counter-attack for Bournemouth last season - essentially replacing the all-action Semenyo.
Though he succeeded with only 38.2% of his attempted dribbles, Rayan was dispossessed just 0.8 times per 90 (putting him in the top 15% of Premier League wingers in this respect), often making use of his good weight of passing to slip in players on the overlap rather than beating his opponents with skill.
Rayan's five Premier League goals came from an xG of 2.91, with an xGOT (expected goals on target) of 3.41 showing his composure in front of goal.
His aerial ability - 2.01 aerial duels won per 90 at a rate of 43.9% - and build suggest he could successfully fill in up front for Liverpool in the absence of Hugo Ekitike, with his aerial duel volume and headed shots (0.48 per 90) both placing him in the top 10% for Premier League players in his position.
Rayan also works hard off the ball, making 0.64 interceptions per 90 and winning possession in the final third 0.72 times per 90. His build also makes him an asset for defending set pieces (1.61 clearances per 90), which is no bad thing for a Liverpool side that struggled massively with that side of the game last season.
In terms of his creativity, Rayan hasn't particularly stood out in England so far however, with his 0.24 big chances created per 90 only seeing him sneak inside the top 50% of players in his position in the league.
0.32 successful crosses per 90 at a rate of 16.7% accuracy doesn't suggest he would be creating chances aplenty for Isak from the off - which is arguably what Liverpool need most of all.
Again, there is plenty of time for this to develop, but Rayan is currently more of a inside forward/striker hybrid than a dynamic, chance-creating wide player.
Whether Liverpool should prioritise this profile as Iraola is expected to transition the system towards one which creates chances for a prolific No. 9 is really the question.
Rayan could well go on to be that - he has scored goals wherever he has played and at every age level (famously scoring 280 times by the age of 11 in Vasco's youth sides) and played centrally before - but Liverpool would do well to give him the time he needs to develop at Bournemouth before 'firming up' their reported interest.
While the Reds absolutely should prioritise wingers this summer, creativity should be the trait prioritised above all else. Rayan could go on to be a game-changer if he ever makes the switch to Anfield - but with that in mind, it seems unlikely he would be on the agenda as early as this summer.
