Chapter 88: Ferguson's Favor
It wasn't just Real Madrid who had their eyes on Lin Quan. Once the news spread, almost all the top clubs in the five major leagues were interested.
Milan, AC Milan Club.
Galliani immediately reported the matter to club president Berlusconi.
"Boss, should we still pursue Lin Quan from Barcelona with our original offer of 45 million euros?"
Galliani seemed to have changed his mind. Clearly, Lin Quan's release clause was only 5 million euros. If they were to pay 45 million euros for the transfer, wouldn't that be a huge mistake? If this news got out, they would be laughed at!
Berlusconi lit a cigar and took a leisurely puff.
"This kid has performed extremely well for the Spanish national team. He has already attracted the attention of many top clubs. If we can really bring him back for 45 million euros, do you think it's a bad deal?"
Galliani furrowed his brows, pondering for a moment. Judging solely from Lin Quan's current performance, he was already a phenomenal player. Paying 45 million euros just for his immediate impact might be a bit expensive.
But considering his immense potential, this price was not only reasonable but rather cheap.
For example, knowing Messi's performance in football at the age of 25, if you were given the chance to go back in time and make an offer to him at 18, how much would you be willing to pay?
Many clubs would probably not hesitate to offer hundreds of millions of euros just to snatch Messi away from Barcelona!
And Lin Quan, he's like the young Messi.
He might even be stronger than Messi at the same age!
In comparison, the 45 million euros for Lin Quan seemed like a bargain! If you were willing to pay a hundred million euros for Messi, why wouldn't you pay 45 million euros for Lin Quan? Unless you were certain he would get injured and ruined on the field.
Otherwise, there's no reason not to buy him!
"The style of the Bundesliga is different from Serie A. They don't focus much on defense and play in a straightforward and direct manner, often achieving exaggerated scores. So, for attacking players, it's not difficult to rack up good stats there.
"If this kid played in Serie A, his goal tally would definitely drop by half or more!"
Galliani was still stubborn, trying to find various reasons to prove that Lin Quan wasn't worth the price.
He still felt a sense of superiority, even though Serie A's glory days were gone, as a once prestigious powerhouse, they still looked down on the Bundesliga as a rising star.
Back in the day, even superstars like Matthäus, Klinsmann, and Brehme from Germany had to come to Serie A to make a living!
Berlusconi glanced at his old partner and said lightly:
"Every league has its own style. The Bundesliga advocates attacking, while Serie A values defense. There's no distinction between high and low."
"But in terms of entertainment value, the Bundesliga, with its high-scoring matches, is not necessarily inferior to Serie A. Moreover, the Bundesliga is a true membership-based league, and the financial situation of their teams is generally better than ours in Serie A."
"Don't look at them with outdated views anymore. Over the past few seasons, the performance of Bundesliga teams in the Champions League has been much better than ours in Serie A!"
AC Milan used to be a face of Serie A in European competitions, but in recent seasons, their performance in the Champions League has been very dismal.
Since the 2006-2007 season, after AC Milan avenged Liverpool and won the Champions League title, in the past five seasons, they have been eliminated in the Round of 16 three times, reached the quarterfinals once, and even failed to qualify for the Champions League once. Their decline in speed is comparable to that of Real Madrid, the perennial last 16 team of the Champions League.
But after hiring Mourinho, Real Madrid's Champions League performance quickly improved, and they have reached the semifinals two consecutive times.
Real Madrid has already dropped the label of being perennial last 16 team of the Champions League, but what about AC Milan?
With their current lineup, if they want to make a breakthrough in the Champions League, it's not clear how long it will take!
Galliani was actually worried about money, not wanting to spend so much to buy players.
He knew Lin Quan's ability very well, and 45 million euros was not expensive for him. It's just that AC Milan's financial situation was a bit worrying at the moment.
With club president Berlusconi entangled in legal troubles and the aftermath of the phonegate scandal, investment in the entire Serie A league had been greatly reduced. Apart from Moratti's idiotic spending in the 2009-2010 season, other powerhouses were unwilling and unable to invest heavily.
To ask them to come up with such a high transfer fee to buy a newcomer, Galliani felt a bit reluctant.
Especially when there was a chance to try for less money, he didn't want to be a fool.
"Alright then, AC Milan is the face of Serie A, and San Siro Stadium cannot always be without a superstar. If this 45 million euros can really bring back Lin Quan, then it will become our hope for AC Milan's revival!"
But Berlusconi didn't think so. He looked at the list more long-term.
Since the club president said so, Galliani couldn't say anything more and could only go ahead and execute his orders.
...
Manchester, Manchester United Club.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who was about to retire, was discussing the team's winter transfer signings with the sons of the club's owner, the Glazers, Abram and Joel.
"These are some players I have my eye on. Take a look!"
Ferguson handed the list to the two, although he could actually decide on transfers by himself. However, considering that he would retire next season, it was better to discuss it with the Glazer family to avoid buying players who the new coach might not like, leaving him to take the blame as a retired old man.
Abram took the list handed over by the old man and glanced at it. The list included names like Juan Mata, Luka Modric, Wesley Sneijder, Eriksen, and Khedira, among other established stars. It also featured young players like Isco, De Bruyne, and Lin Quan.
Apart from Lin Quan, the rest of the players were almost all midfielders.
It was evident that Ferguson wanted to strengthen Manchester United's midfield.
New signing Shinji Kagawa was plagued by injuries, Fletcher had mysterious illnesses, and Scholes was getting old.
Manchester United's midfield was a bit lacking, and indeed needed reinforcement.
Joel's eyes lit up when he saw Lin Quan's name, pointing to it and asking Ferguson:
"I've watched this guy's games. He plays in the same position for the Spanish national team as Messi does for Barcelona, and their styles are very similar. Many people are optimistic that he could become the next Messi. Sir Alex, what do you think?"
Ferguson smiled, "I also have high hopes for the future of this young man. Based on his current performance, I have no doubt he could become a football king in the future."
Abram and Joel were both surprised. They hadn't expected Ferguson to have such a high opinion of Lin Quan.
Since Maradona retired, football hadn't seen a football king for many years, and the closest were undoubtedly the current rising stars, Messi and Ronaldo.
Did Ferguson think Lin Quan would be even stronger than Messi?
The two brothers looked at each other, straightened up involuntarily, and became serious.
If Ferguson didn't misjudge, then such a player must not be missed!
"Sir, how much do you think it would be appropriate to pay for him if we were to bring him in?"
Even if Lin Quan couldn't become a football king in the future, being the next Messi would be fine! At this time, Messi and Ronaldo were both at their peaks and were nuclear weapons for their respective teams.
La Liga had attracted so many fans mainly because of these two superstars, making La Liga's influence and commercial development rival that of the Premier League.
If Manchester United could buy a player of this caliber, it would be very advantageous for both the team's future performance and the development of Manchester United's business and brand image.
Seeing the eager look in the eyes of the two, Ferguson smiled and said:
"It's hard to say. Such an outstanding player, Barcelona might not be willing to sell!"
"Isn't there speculation outside that Lin Quan and Messi play in the same position on the field, and there's no room for him in Barcelona?"
Joel, who knew more about the latest football news, spoke up.
Ferguson shook his head:
"Lin Quan and Messi are both players who can play multiple positions. He played as a winger at Werder Bremen, and Barcelona can still use him on the wings. When they're on the field, they can cooperate with each other. Both are players who can dribble, break through, and pass, and their partnership will only make it harder for opponents to defend!"
(End of this chapter)