Chapter 414: Manchester City Gets Anxious, Club Chairman Visits Personally
"These bastards, they're serious about this, huh?"
With four top clubs making offers, Manchester City started to panic. When so many top clubs are trying to snatch your star player and you don't want to sell, anyone would be nervous. What worried them even more was that Lin Quan still hadn't signed the renewal contract, making everyone at Manchester City a bit anxious. They couldn't help but wonder if Lin Quan really planned to leave this summer. Otherwise, why hadn't he renewed his contract despite the club's generous offer?
Although Manchester City lacked the heritage of old powerhouses, anyone could see they were an emerging force. If they continued to develop steadily, it was only a matter of time before they became a top club. Before Manchester City won the Champions League in 2014, many in the football world dismissed them as just rich upstarts. But now? After winning back-to-back Champions League titles, few still saw them as mere upstarts. Many experts had started analyzing Manchester City's success, with some clubs even trying to emulate their operations to replicate their success.
So, the things that clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich possessed were just a matter of time for Manchester City. In this context, they couldn't understand why their players, especially top ones like Lin Quan, wouldn't want to stay with the team.
"Don't overthink it. Lin Quan hasn't refused to renew with us. The negotiations are still ongoing, right?"
Seeing everyone's pessimism, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak had to reassure them. "I've heard that Lin Quan has returned to Europe. While he's home, I'll visit him personally to show our utmost sincerity."
Actually, there was no need for Manchester City to be in such a hurry. Lin Quan's contract still had three years left. Even if he didn't renew, as long as the club refused to sell him, he wouldn't be able to leave until 2018. During these three years, they could use Lin Quan's presence to fight for more honors in the league and the Champions League, potentially establishing themselves as a top club. By then, Lin Quan might reconsider. Even if he insisted on leaving, a top-tier Manchester City could attract other star players. While losing Lin Quan would certainly impact their performance, they wouldn't fall into relegation battles with other stars joining.
But Manchester City genuinely didn't want to lose Lin Quan. As long as his contract had less than three years, they felt insecure. Their tactics revolved around Lin Quan, and if they couldn't secure a long-term contract, they'd have to overhaul their strategy, which was more than just replacing a forward—it would mean restructuring the entire team. Just like Barcelona couldn't find a replacement for Messi, Manchester City couldn't find one for Lin Quan.
Lin Quan had just returned from visiting Xavi when he encountered Chairman Al Mubarak waiting outside his home.
"Mr. Chairman, what brings you here?"
Lin Quan was surprised by the chairman's sudden appearance and realized it must be something important.
"Well, I heard you were back from abroad and wanted to visit. Isn't Pep here?"
Lin Quan didn't have a house in Catalonia and stayed with the Guardiola couple. Since he spent most of the year away and wasn't married, he didn't see the need to buy a house there. He thought he'd get his own place after getting married.
"They went skiing in Switzerland and will be back in a while."
"I see. Won't you invite me in?"
Lin Quan apologized, unlocked the door, and invited Al Mubarak in, pouring him some tea.
The chairman didn't immediately state his purpose, and Lin Quan didn't break the silence either. He already guessed it was about the contract renewal. When returning to Europe, Pere had briefed him on Manchester City's eagerness to renew. Pere's stance was firm:
"One must have principles. Don't sacrifice money for pride! Renew the contract, definitely. If Manchester City is offering money, we should take it!"
Honestly, Lin Quan was tempted. The salary was high even for 2020 standards. But he didn't want a long-term contract. He'd consider a three-year deal like Cristiano Ronaldo's, but not the five-year deal Manchester City offered.
Eventually, Al Mubarak broke the silence, losing the who-can-stay-silent-longer game.
"Lin, I'm here for two reasons."
Lin Quan looked at him, signaling him to continue.
"First, as you know, there have been many transfer rumors about you this summer. Our club has received several offers. What are your thoughts on this?"
Al Mubarak stared intently at Lin Quan, trying to gauge his reaction.
"Is the club planning to sell me this summer?"
Lin Quan didn't directly answer but asked a question in return.
"Uh, no, of course not. You're our star player, a non-transferable asset. We wouldn't put you on the market under any circumstances!"
Al Mubarak's tone was firm, showing Manchester City's determination. The implied message was that even if Lin Quan wanted to leave, they wouldn't let him.
Lin Quan nodded, understanding the club's stance. He had no immediate plans to leave, especially since Guardiola had just arrived. Leaving now would feel like betraying Guardiola.
Seeing no significant change in Lin Quan's expression, Al Mubarak continued:
"We've received four offers so far, including from Barcelona and Real Madrid, but we've rejected them all."
Lin Quan showed little reaction, as he had anticipated Manchester City's response.
Moreover, he didn't want to be constantly entangled by these transfer rumors, so Manchester City's decisive rejections were actually helping him.
"The second reason I'm here today is regarding the club's contract renewal with you," Al Mubarak continued, seizing the moment since Lin Quan didn't seem too interested in the transfer rumors. "Given your tremendous contributions to Manchester City over the past two years, winning countless honors for the team, the club has decided to offer you a new contract, significantly increasing your salary and bonus to match your performance."
This sounded good. The club was presenting the contract renewal as a way to reward Lin Quan, carefully avoiding mentioning the length of the new contract. For a five-year contract, it's natural to offer a better deal since inflation and player wages tend to rise each year. Though Manchester City's offer seemed high, with only a 20% increase over the previous contract, it might not even keep up with the average wage growth in football over the next five years.
Of course, if you include the loyalty bonus, that's a different story. However, unless Lin Quan stayed at Manchester City for the entire five years, he wouldn't receive the full loyalty bonus. Compared to a solid annual salary, the loyalty bonus was essentially just a promise. Clubs often renew contracts or sell players before their contracts end, meaning the hefty loyalty bonus for the last few years is unlikely to be fully paid out.
So, the club's sincerity was somewhat lacking. If Lin Quan was willing to renew, the contract terms could still be negotiated. His agent, Pere, inexperienced in such matters, was dazzled by the contract figures and lost his judgment. An experienced agent like Mendes wouldn't have been so easily fooled.
"I've seen the contract. I haven't reviewed it in detail yet. I'll respond to the club after I've gone through it thoroughly," Lin Quan said. Players typically don't negotiate contracts directly with the club. They're not experts in this area and can easily be deceived. Moreover, contract and financial negotiations often lead to heated arguments as both sides fight for their interests. If an agent handles the negotiations, they play the bad guy. If the player does it, they become the bad guy in the club's eyes, which can make their time at the club difficult. It can also harm the player's reputation if the disputes become public.
So, Lin Quan didn't want to discuss the contract directly with Al Mubarak and suggested he contact his agent instead. Al Mubarak knew better than to bypass Lin Quan's agent. His main goal was to gauge Lin Quan's intentions. Learning that Lin Quan didn't plan to leave Manchester City for now achieved his primary objective. Although he wondered why Lin Quan hadn't signed the contract immediately, knowing he wasn't planning to leave meant negotiations could continue.
With Lin Quan's stance clarified, Manchester City's response became firmer. They rejected offers from the four clubs and reiterated on their website that Lin Quan was not for sale. To reassure their fans, they also announced that they were negotiating a contract renewal with Lin Quan's agent.
The next day, a small Manchester newspaper revealed part of the contract details. Though the report might not be accurate, the figures still shocked the public.
"Wow, five years, £125 million, that's an annual salary of €30 million. Isn't that a bit outrageous?"
"Lin's current annual salary is £20 million, about €25 million. The new contract offers a 20% increase. It looks big, but it's a fixed salary, not an incremental one. Overall, the increase isn't that significant, with an average annual growth rate of less than 4%."
"True, but Lin's base salary is already so high that even a modest increase is impressive!"
"There were rumors that Barcelona offered Messi a new contract. I thought Messi would take the top salary spot, but Manchester City responded quickly. If Lin signs this contract, he'll retain the highest salary in football history, being the first player to earn €30 million annually!"
"Unbelievable! His salary alone is more than some entire teams' payrolls!"
The small newspaper only mentioned Lin's annual salary, not the signing bonus. If they had included that, the public would have been even more astonished. After seeing the club's firm stance, Manchester City fans were relieved. Many fans had been anxious, holding banners and signs outside Lin Quan's Manchester home, hoping to persuade him to stay. Though Lin Quan was not in Manchester, the fans hoped their sincerity would reach him.
With the club's strong response, the fans felt reassured. Despite the high rumored salary, they believed their star player deserved it. After all, Lin Quan's contributions over the past two seasons had brought enough glory to justify the cost. Signing him was undoubtedly Manchester City's best deal.
Other clubs interested in Lin Quan felt uneasy after Manchester City's announcement. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona had been preparing for Lin Quan to join their teams this summer. Especially Real Madrid, which was planning to sell Ronaldo to fund Lin Quan's transfer. If Lin Quan didn't come, selling Ronaldo would be pointless.
Upon hearing the news, Florentino Pérez called his assistant immediately.
"Have you found out where Lin Quan is?"
Manchester City's stance didn't necessarily reflect Lin Quan's. Last summer, when Manchester City declared Lin Quan was not for sale, he also made a statement online, confirming it. This summer, he hadn't said anything similar, which Pérez saw as an opportunity. He believed that direct contact with the player might change the situation.
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