Chapter 399: Football World Buzzing: Where Will Lin Quan Go?
A week has passed since the Champions League final, but the impact of that match is still spreading. With the transfer window approaching, major clubs across Europe are gearing up, eager to strengthen their squads as much as possible to challenge the mighty Manchester City. An arms race seems inevitable!
However, the main instigators, Lin Quan and Guardiola, have seemingly vanished. Since City won the championship, both have disappeared without a trace. For an entire week, no one has seen them. This absence has sparked numerous rumors. Some whispers suggest that after reaching the pinnacle of his career and winning all major honors, Lin Quan has lost interest in the Premier League and is in talks with top clubs from other leagues, planning to leave City this summer.
Despite Manchester City's official statement promptly debunking these rumors, claiming they have a three-year contract with Lin Quan and enjoy a great relationship, the public remains unconvinced. If everything was as City claimed, why hasn't Lin Quan himself come forward to confirm it?
In the football world, such denial rumors are common and people aren't easily fooled. As time passed, belief in Lin Quan's potential transfer grew stronger. With Barcelona's presidential elections approaching and Laporta, the frontrunner, repeatedly stating that his first action if re-elected would be to bring back Lin Quan, the beloved La Masia gem, fans were thrilled. The memory of Lin Quan scoring four goals against Barcelona in the Champions League final was still fresh. Far from hating him, Barcelona fans admired him even more.
Since rumors of Lin Quan's transfer emerged, many Barcelona fans have flooded his social media, passionately pleading for his return to Camp Nou. Typically, election promises aren't taken seriously, but Laporta seemed genuine. He had even learned that the Qatari consortium planned a major signing this summer. Their top targets were players like Lin Quan and Messi, but since such players are extremely expensive and their clubs reluctant to sell, the chances were slim.
Thus, the Qataris made a concealed offer of 150 million euros for Neymar, who, without this year's Champions League title, hadn't reached his full market value. Despite his youth and potential, the Qataris, not short on money, saw buying a young star for 150 million euros as worthwhile. They needed big-name players to make a splash.
Laporta, upon hearing this, saw an opportunity. If Barcelona could bring Lin Quan back, selling Neymar would be no issue. Given Lin Quan's high value, even if he agreed to return, Barcelona would need to pay a hefty sum. To lure Lin Quan from City would require at least 200-300 million euros. Barcelona, despite being a top club, didn't have as deep pockets as their rivals Real Madrid. Even Madrid would need to scrape together funds to buy Lin Quan.
So, if the Qataris were indeed interested in Neymar, Barcelona could use this to gather funds for Lin Quan's transfer. If the player agreed, Laporta figured 200-300 million euros should suffice. Selling Neymar could raise 150 million, and they could find the rest through other means.
Purchasing Lin Quan would significantly boost Barcelona's strength, not only enhancing their team but also increasing commercial revenue. Laporta had investigated and found that Lin Quan's move to City brought many sponsorships, especially from China. Lin Quan, though not Chinese by nationality, was of Chinese descent. Many Chinese fans naturally preferred supporting a player who shared their heritage. Lin Quan, the top player in football, had immense commercial value, incomparable to others.
Bringing him back wouldn't just secure immediate performance and future success; it would also bring financial benefits. Importantly, with La Masia producing fewer talents lately, Lin Quan's return could revitalize the academy's reputation and attract more young talents globally.
Laporta's election slogan resonated with fans, who were dissatisfied with Bartomeu's management and the loss of the Champions League. Consequently, in June's final election, Laporta won by a landslide, becoming Barcelona's new president. He immediately began clearing the roster to prepare funds for Lin Quan.
Real Madrid couldn't stay indifferent. After replacing Ancelotti, they brought in Zidane, who, impressed by Lin Quan's performances, decided to pursue him too. With the club president's full support, Zidane aimed to bring Lin Quan to Bernabéu, enhancing their Champions League prospects and humiliating Barcelona.
Besides La Liga rivals, PSG was also interested, and Juventus, having been knocked out by City, eyed Lin Quan as well.
The Italians are inherently proud people. Serie A was once known as the "Little World Cup," with half of the world's top players playing there. During that era, Serie A was incredibly dominant in Europe, standing out as the premier league. Although it has declined in recent years, the legacy of its top clubs remains. Recently, numerous local Italian talents have emerged, making them less interested in talents from abroad.
However, after five consecutive years of painful exits in the Champions League, Serie A teams have learned a hard lesson. If they want to regain their former glory, they can't continue to isolate themselves. AC Milan and Inter Milan are mired in debt and can't achieve much despite their ambitions. But the rejuvenated Juventus, having won four consecutive Serie A titles, is undoubtedly the league's flagship team. Unlike the Milan clubs, Juventus is in a much better financial position. So, after witnessing Manchester City's strength in the Champions League, Juventus decided to make significant signings this summer.
A key factor supporting their major signings is Manchester United's interest in Juventus' midfield star, Paul Pogba, inviting him back to Old Trafford. After discussions with Pogba and his agent, Juventus realized it would be tough to keep him. Therefore, they decided to make Manchester United pay a hefty sum for Pogba, hoping to get at least 100 million euros. With that money and some additional funds, Juventus believed they could gather enough to bid for Lin Quan. If necessary, they could even propose installment payments, though it was unclear if Manchester City would accept that.
If Lin Quan's market value weren't so high, many more top clubs would be pursuing him. The only reason other clubs aren't interested is their financial constraints. After Paris Saint-Germain's inquiries, everyone had a rough idea of Lin Quan's value. His worth was already 250 million euros during last year's World Cup. This year, after leading his team to defend their Champions League title with a stellar performance in the final, his value undoubtedly skyrocketed further. Now, 250 million euros might not even be enough to secure him. For 99% of the teams, such an amount is unattainable. Some clubs aren't worth that much themselves, even if sold entirely. Hence, most clubs can only watch as the top ones vie for Lin Quan.
One such spectator is Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger. "Ah, one step behind, always behind," he sighed, holding the trophy they had just won. Arsenal had finally claimed the FA Cup title, relieving Wenger of a long-standing burden. Not just him, but the Arsenal players felt a significant weight lifted off their shoulders. Winning the FA Cup, a prestigious trophy, allowed them to counter the decade-long taunts of being trophy-less.
With a relaxed mindset, Wenger, now older, thought of doing his best for Arsenal in his remaining years, ensuring a smooth transition for his successor. Adhering to his principle of getting the most value for money, Wenger once again focused on the young talents recommended by his scouts. After all, nurturing young talents is what he found most satisfying.
While transfer rumors swirled, Lin Quan himself remained silent, practically disappearing. This intrigued everyone: where did Lin Quan go? He was far from Europe, vacationing with Guardiola and their families in the Far East. To avoid disturbances, they left quietly the day after the Champions League ended, catching the journalists in Manchester and Barcelona off guard.
Apart from vacationing, they had another purpose for their visit. Standing outside an old orphanage, Guardiola sighed and said to Lin Quan, "This is where Sera and I adopted you." Lin Quan nodded, looking at the worn-down orphanage. Time had taken its toll, but it remained the same place he remembered.
"We should have brought you here last year, but things got in the way," Guardiola said. When they adopted Lin Quan, Guardiola and Sera had promised to bring him back to find his roots once he turned 18. Although he turned 18 last year, various circumstances delayed the trip.
"It doesn't matter. Finding them or not doesn't change anything. They abandoned me back then, severing our ties. My only parents are you and Sera," Lin Quan said, feeling indifferent about finding his birth parents. He couldn't have deep feelings for people who abandoned him. The orphanage staff had long changed, and no one remembered him or knew his parents. The result would have been the same a year earlier.
Before leaving the orphanage, Lin Quan donated 1 million yuan, considering it as a way to close a chapter. He once was one of those children, and he hoped the money could help them.
After visiting the orphanage, they flew to the capital for a friendly match between Spain and China.