DIEGO Maradona, Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba – not a bad list of stars to be featured alongside when looking back through the archives.

Cherries striker Dominic Solanke joined that illustrious party when he became the Golden Ball recipient at the Under-20 World Cup 18 months ago.

A winner of that global prize as well as a European under-17 champion, the pedigree is there for the Dorset club to have a special player on their hands.

So a fee understood to be around £17.5million plus add-ons looks good business, doesn’t it? Providing the 21-year old England international goes on to maximise his unquestionable potential.

The exciting young talent has shown flashes of his brilliance in front of goal in recent times.

His classy punched backheel finish for England under-21s against Denmark in November set tongues wagging on social media. If you have not had the chance to see it, it is something quite masterful.

Moments like that are what could make Solanke a star at Vitality Stadium – the perfect stage to enhance his experience at senior level.

Boss Eddie Howe this week defended the money shelled out on the former Chelsea and Liverpool man, who, at present, has just one Premier League goal to his name. But with just five starts in the top flight to date, Solanke has found opportunities hard to come by.

The Basingstoke-born star was left playing second fiddle to one of the most lethal front three combinations in world football last season.

While he was sat on the bench, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino smashed in 91 goals between them.

The trio already have 35 this season on their way to firing the Reds to the top of the Premier League.

With a clinical record like that, any of them are extremely unlikely to get dropped no matter how much potential is behind them.

“For Dom, it was absolutely right to go,” said Reds boss Jurgen Klopp. “He didn’t play a lot for Chelsea and so he needed to play football now.

“Bournemouth made a good offer to be honest and for him it is a really good opportunity.”

And Solanke only has to look around Cherries’ dressing room to see what featuring under Howe can do for a player.

Lewis Cook has earned full England senior honours and become one of the most exciting young midfielders in the Premier League.

David Brooks is taking the division by storm in his first season at England’s elite level.

Attacking-wise, Howe has a proven track record of developing ambitious strikers.

Callum Wilson and Joshua King had not featured in the Premier League until taking on their individual challenges with Cherries – they now have a combined 63 top-flight goals between them.

It’s notorious that Howe demands a lot of his players but that guidance can create stars.

Not many players will have Solanke’s glittering youth credentials – Cherries can be where he takes that talent to the next level.