Chapter 419: The Football World is in Chaos
Upon hearing the news that Neymar had transferred to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Lin Quan was shocked. He wasn't surprised that Neymar would eventually join PSG, but he was surprised it happened so early. In his previous timeline, Neymar joined PSG in 2017, but now it was only 2015—a whole two years earlier.
"It's all messed up!" Lin Quan couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head as he thought about Paul Pogba, who had rejoined Manchester United a year ahead of schedule. It seemed that the butterfly effect caused by his presence was growing more significant.
"With the MSN trio, Barcelona was still highly competitive in the Champions League. But now, with Neymar gone, their chances of contending for the Champions League have drastically decreased," Lin Quan thought. Neymar's departure was a massive blow to Barcelona. While they had pinned their hopes on bringing Lin Quan back to Camp Nou, they also had Neymar as a backup plan. Originally, if Lin Quan didn't return, Neymar was set to take over from Messi as Barcelona's core player. Now, with Neymar being poached by Qatar's PSG, Barcelona's meticulously laid plans were thrown into disarray.
Barcelona needed to quickly find a successor for Messi. In the original timeline, after being caught off guard by Neymar's departure, Barcelona hastily spent a fortune on Ousmane Dembélé and Philippe Coutinho to fill the void. However, neither of them lived up to expectations. The money spent on them was essentially wasted. Learning from their mistakes, Barcelona then turned their attention to established stars, spending big to sign Atlético Madrid's Antoine Griezmann. Unfortunately, Griezmann also struggled to adapt at Barcelona and didn't perform as well as he had at Atlético. The ill-planned signings drained Barcelona's finances, leading to a mountain of debt and eventually contributing to the departure of Messi. It was uncertain if these events would still unfold in this timeline.
Neymar's transfer impacted more than just Barcelona; it sent shockwaves throughout the major leagues. At Real Madrid, upon hearing about Neymar's move to PSG, Florentino Pérez's attitude towards Cristiano Ronaldo changed immediately. When Barcelona's MSN trio was intact, even with Ronaldo staying, Real Madrid could only match Barcelona, struggling to surpass them. But now, with Neymar gone, if Ronaldo stayed, Real Madrid's BBC trio would have a significant edge over Barcelona in the league.
Realizing this, Pérez quickly called Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo's agent, with a newfound warmth. He indicated that they could discuss contract extensions or even a pay raise and urged Mendes not to take Ronaldo to another club. Mendes had somewhat anticipated this change in attitude. In fact, PSG was one of Ronaldo's potential destinations. Mendes had made numerous trips to PSG recently, fully aware of Neymar's impact. With PSG having bought Neymar, they likely wouldn't have the budget to also buy Ronaldo. This left Ronaldo with only two potential destinations: Bayern Munich and Juventus. Originally, Manchester United was also an option, but after buying Pogba, they were out of funds.
Mendes had approached Bayern and Juventus. Bayern's response was lukewarm; they didn't seem very interested. With their current squad strength, Bayern didn't need a superstar to compete for the Champions League. Dominating the domestic league had long been easy for them, and they didn't need an expensive superstar to disrupt their wage structure or team harmony. Ronaldo's fiery personality could potentially cause issues in Bayern's locker room, possibly reducing the team's overall strength.
With Bayern out of the picture, Juventus remained Ronaldo's only viable option. However, Juventus was fervently pursuing Lin Quan, showing no signs of giving up. While they were interested in Ronaldo, he was their second choice, only if they couldn't get Lin Quan. This scenario meant limited time left in the transfer window, making it risky to handle Ronaldo's transfer last minute. Any delay could lead to an embarrassing situation where Ronaldo remained at Real Madrid despite plans to leave, similar to how De Gea's transfer to Real Madrid fell through due to a fax machine error, forcing him to stay at Manchester United after already bidding farewell to teammates.
For a superstar like Ronaldo, image and respect were crucial. Juventus's indecisive behavior was disrespectful. In the past, Ronaldo would have blacklisted them, but now he couldn't afford to. With Mendes facing repeated rejections, Ronaldo realized times had changed. The football world no longer revolved around him and Messi as it did before Lin Quan emerged as a rising star, pushing the old guard aside and claiming the spotlight. The old saying rang true: "Out with the old, in with the new."
When Real Madrid's attitude softened and they showed willingness to negotiate, Mendes was relieved. If Real Madrid had remained cold, it would have been awkward if Ronaldo couldn't leave. Hence, Ronaldo and Mendes played along, pretending the previous disagreements never happened, maintaining harmony.
Back in Manchester, Lin Quan resumed training. Upon hearing Lin Quan had returned early, N'Golo Kanté rushed from France to meet him.
"Lin, I…" Kanté hesitated, clearly troubled.
"What's the matter? Have you run into some trouble?" Lin Quan noticed Kanté's anxious expression.
Kanté was indeed facing a significant life decision. After his stellar performances in the league and Champions League, Kanté had attracted attention from top clubs. Chelsea had offered €30 million to bring him to Stamford Bridge. Despite Mourinho's departure, Chelsea's defensive spirit remained, and Kanté was exactly what they needed.
Abramovich is a generous boss, and when it comes to talented players, he never hesitates to be generous. Compared to the contract offered by Manchester City, Abramovich offered Kanté a huge contract with a weekly salary of £120,000.
Kanté was just a rookie who had played less than half a season in the Premier League. A yearly salary of €7.5 million was an incredibly high wage for such a player. So, when Chelsea's contract was put in front of him, the once-poor Kanté was overwhelmed. €7.5 million was more money than he had ever seen in his life. He wanted to sign the contract and secure this substantial deal. The contract was for five years, meaning he would earn at least €37.5 million from Chelsea! This amount was enough to last him a lifetime.
"Kanté, how much do you think you're worth?" Lin Quan couldn't help but laugh upon hearing about Kanté's dilemma.
Kanté clearly lacked a proper understanding of his own value. While €7.5 million seemed like a lot, Lin Quan knew that in his previous timeline, when Chelsea signed Kanté, they offered him an annual salary of £15 million, with a weekly salary of £290,000, even higher than Hazard's.
Now, Chelsea was only offering a weekly salary of £120,000, indicating that they hadn't fully realized Kanté's value. If Kanté joined Chelsea so easily now, he would lose at least €40-50 million in the long run!
"Captain, am I really worth that much?" Kanté was stunned by the numbers Lin Quan mentioned. £290,000 per week? £15 million per year? Could he really be worth that much? If he didn't know Lin Quan's character, he might have thought Lin Quan was joking.
"Of course, you have to believe in yourself. You'll become the best defensive midfielder on this planet!" Lin Quan patted Kanté's shoulder and encouraged him. "Once you become the world's best in your position, every top club will want you and will offer unimaginable high wages."
Kanté realized, "Oh, I get it, just like you are now, Captain!"
Lin Quan was momentarily speechless. On second thought, Kanté wasn't wrong. However, players in forward positions generally had higher salaries than those in defensive positions. Even if Kanté became the best defensive midfielder, it would be difficult to earn the same as a top forward like Lin Quan.
After understanding Lin Quan's point, Kanté felt much better. Although still tempted by the €7.5 million annual salary, he remembered Lin Quan's words: he would be worth even more in the future.
Seeing that Kanté understood, Lin Quan didn't say much more. When they signed Kanté, he was just an unknown player from a bottom team, so his contract wasn't very lucrative. But since he performed exceptionally well last season and Chelsea was now trying to poach him, Manchester City would surely offer him a better contract to keep such a talented player.
Though Kanté had spent years struggling in lower leagues, he was only born in 1991, making him 24 years old now. He could still play for Manchester City for another eight years, at least. During this time, City wouldn't need to worry about the defensive midfielder position.
With Manchester City signing Kanté early, Lin Quan wondered how Claudio Ranieri would fill the void left by Kanté at Leicester City.
Manchester City wasn't only dealing with Kanté being targeted. Kroos, De Bruyne, and David Silva had also received offers from other clubs. Apart from Yaya Touré, who left amicably as a free agent, Manchester City didn't sell any key players. However, Matija Nastasić, who played during City's injury crisis, was sold to Schalke 04 for €10 million. Nastasić, now 22, wanted more playing time and didn't want to remain a substitute, especially with so many young defenders in the team. He preferred a team where he could play regularly rather than sit on the bench, wasting his potential.
Pep Guardiola agreed, knowing that while Nastasić was a good substitute, he wasn't strong enough to be a starter. Schalke's offer made sense, as keeping a discontent player could cause issues in the locker room.
Young players could be sold, but Guardiola wouldn't let go of any key players. Maintaining the team's top form was crucial for establishing Manchester City as a dominant force, and they were close to achieving this goal. Guardiola wouldn't sabotage his own efforts.
However, some players wanted to leave regardless. Jesús Navas, James Milner, and Fernandinho all expressed a desire to leave. Navas, 30, had limited playing time and wanted more opportunities to play as a starter, which wasn't feasible at Manchester City. So, he sought Lin Quan, the leader of the Spanish contingent, and Guardiola's friend, to discuss his departure.
Understanding Navas's desire to leave, Lin Quan sighed. Like Javi García the previous year, keeping Navas would strengthen the bench, but his desire to leave couldn't be ignored.
"If you've made up your mind, then go. I'll talk to the coach," Lin Quan said.
"Thank you, Captain!" Navas was grateful. At 30, he could still secure a three-year contract with another team, whereas delaying a year might only get him a 1+1 contract, which wasn't ideal for securing his future.
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