Gagliani glanced down at the note in front of him, which contained some simple figures.
r: 1500
b: 1350
m: 1200
l: 1000
j: 1000
Unit: Ten thousand pounds.
With Gagliani's sharp mind, he understood the meaning behind those letters in less than two seconds.
These were the offers from top clubs!
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Juventus.
Aldrich then said, "These are the offers that some clubs made for Shevchenko last summer."
Real Madrid is the wealthy elite; they are eager for talented players who can make a name for themselves and their offers reflect that.
Barcelona, having lost their superstar last summer, aimed to replace Ronaldo with either Larsson or Shevchenko. Unfortunately, their attempts fell short.
Manchester United and Liverpool also expressed interest in Shevchenko.
As for Juventus, the Serie A champions, Lippi has shown interest as well. After Vieri left for Madrid and Boksic joined Lazio, and with Pavano already over thirty, Juventus was keen, but they weren't overly enthusiastic and ultimately signed Inzaghi.
Last summer, Shevchenko only proved himself in the Premier League, but now, his performance in the Champions League group stage is even more convincing. Sir, AC Milan has money, but you are not the highest bidder. If I wanted to sell Shevchenko for a high price, I wouldn't be seeing you here. The only reason I didn't meet with representatives from other clubs was that AC Milan was Shevchenko's childhood dream. He yearns for San Siro, and I hope he can realize this dream, but please AC Milan not to trample on his enthusiasm. "
After hearing Aldrich's words, Gagliani let out a long sigh.
It seemed like things had simplified a lot.
In the past, he would have been more confident because players want to join AC Milan, which is crucial in the post-Bosman era.
But facing Aldrich made Gagliani feel like the situation had become trickier.
Negotiating the price was going to be tough!
Bargaining hard would feel like trampling on the player's enthusiasm.
But if he offers a record transfer fee, it doesn't seem worth it, especially when he has to answer to his boss, Silvio Berlusconi, for it.
"Mr. Hall, let's be fair. What do you think Shevchenko is worth?"
Aldrich shrugged and replied, "At least not less than 25 million pounds. Last summer, Real Madrid offered 15 million. Given their current predicament in La Liga, if I sit across the negotiating table from them, they probably wouldn't hesitate to offer a bit more, especially considering Shevchenko's performance over the last six months has significantly increased his market value."
Gagliani shook his head with a bitter smile. "25 million pounds? Maybe Real Madrid can afford it, but Milan definitely can't."
Aldrich sighed, "What you'd be getting is a future Ballon d'Or winner, a forward who contributes at least a dozen goals a season for the team. How many goals did AC Milan score in the league this half-season? Does the whole team even have a dozen?"
Gagliani's expression darkened as he frowned in frustration. "Mr. Hall, if you came here to mock AC Milan and make me back down, you've got it all wrong."
Aldrich motioned for him to calm down and said softly, "How about this? What can AC Milan offer?"
"10 million pounds."
"12 million."
"13 million."
"The gap is too big; we can't reach a consensus."
"Let's agree on a flat fee of 16 million pounds!"
Aldrich rubbed his temples and hesitated for a long moment before continuing, "I'm someone who likes to make friends. If you offer 16 million pounds, I must include a clause in the contract."
"What clause?"
"A 30% cut on the next transfer."
"No way!"
"Alright, how about this: you help me with one thing, and then add two million pounds. 18 million pounds, and we have a deal."
Gagliani pondered for a moment. 18 million pounds was almost like a gamble, but Milan had been struggling for two seasons and certainly needed fresh blood—blood that could act as a boost.
He asked in a serious tone, "What do you need help with?"
Aldrich smiled and said, "Let's discuss it over dinner."
Once dinner was served, Aldrich and Gagliani whispered and discussed the "favor" he needed.
After their meal, Gagliani wore a worried expression and said, "I can't make any promises."
"As long as you do help me, my promise will still hold in the summer, haha, looking forward to our cooperation."
"Cooperation, looking forward to."
That night, Gagliani flew back to Milan to continue his winter transfer operations.
Aldrich, however, couldn't afford to relax.
Shevchenko's departure was a done deal; Aldrich just hoped that in the second half of the season, the Ukrainian striker would keep his word and fight hard for Millwall across multiple fronts!
Another player at the club confirmed his departure during the winter.
Martin O'Neill had also invited Aldrich to dinner.
Throughout the year, Aldrich received countless invitations—some were for social gatherings, while others were from personal friends. He always had to take some time to politely decline certain invites.
O'Neill didn't want to wait until summer to buy Tony.
He feared that Tony's outstanding performance at Leicester City would attract the attention of other big clubs.
Tony still had some decent ambitions. O'Neill relied heavily on him, and he wanted to repay O'Neill's trust. So after the half-season loan period ended and he returned to the club, Tony discussed future plans with Aldrich. He didn't want to continue as a loanee at Leicester City; he wanted a permanent move. At the very least, it would mean a raise in his salary.
During dinner discussions with O'Neill, Aldrich agreed to Tony's transfer and didn't haggle; he only asked for 3.5 million pounds.
Before the FA Cup commenced, Aldrich spent time at the club dealing with various invitations, most of which were for charity galas. Organizations that he wasn't familiar with would send invitations to the club to have him attend.
Once he finished with those invitations, Aldrich glanced at the appointment sheet brought by the club staff.
Throughout the year, he often found himself dealing with player agents, and not all of Millwall's players were under Andrew's management, so conversations with agents required appointments, providing both parties with time to prepare.
But he spotted a name on the appointment sheet that was quite unfamiliar now in the English football coaching circle but would soon become very familiar.
David Moyes.
Seeing his name, Aldrich made a special call to his assistant to inquire about him. Once he confirmed it was indeed the Moyes he was aware of from his past, Aldrich then asked his assistant what the purpose of the meeting was.
"He said he wants to loan a player."
"Oh? Which club is he with?"
"Preston."
"Preston? Isn't that our FA Cup opponent tomorrow?"
"What's his position at Preston? When researching the club, he wasn't their head coach."
"Oh, he's currently the interim manager, the previous one was just sacked three days ago."
"Well, that's interesting. Cancel the appointment; I'll talk to him directly after the game."
"Got it."
Preston was now in the third tier of English football, League Two.
They weren't lucky in the FA Cup, drawing Millwall, and on top of that, playing away.
When Aldrich studied the opponent, he didn't dive too deep into the details as lower-league teams didn't warrant too much time and energy. A general understanding of their playing style, key players, advantages, and disadvantages was sufficient since club scouts also didn't have much time to invest in lower-tier teams.
The next day.
Aldrich met Moyes at The Den. Dressed in sports attire, Moyes stood in front of the away team's bench looking serious, fully immersed in directing the match. However, given Preston's limited player capabilities, he didn't have much room to maneuver.
Aldrich remained seated the entire match, not moving during halftime either; he sent Benitez to check in because at that point, the team was already leading 3-0.
This was a one-sided match, and the trio of Gudjohnsen, Duff, and Van der Meyde was really on fire.
An important factor was that Preston's morale was low; they were currently in the relegation zone in League Two. Hence, the previous manager had been dismissed, and Moyes had been promoted from assistant coach to interim manager.
Moyes was quite capable, at least before he managed Everton, he had received an invitation from Manchester United to be an assistant. However, at that time, he wanted to make a name for himself, so he declined Ferguson's offer.
As for what happened later with Manchester United, well, Moyes's story turned somewhat tragic. Taking over from a legend was risky business; even if he had the talent, it might not be enough.
After the game, Aldridge stood up and shook Moyes' hand, looking a little embarrassed. It was their first meeting and he handed Moyes' side a 5-0 defeat.
Moyes didn't display any disappointment; after all, it was quite normal for Preston to lose 5-0 to Millwall.
Arsenal had faced the same fate here as well.
"Mr. Hall, it's a pleasure."
Moyes carried an air of humility, likely due to stepping in midway through the season as the interim manager; he probably felt like he was walking on thin ice.
After shaking Moyes' hand, Aldrich smiled and said, "Let's go to my office to chat, and discuss the player loan situation."
Moyes' face brightened a bit; he feared Aldrich, being a younger manager, would look down on Preston and refuse to lend them players.
Upon entering Aldrich's office, Moyes observed the simple layout, with only four frames hanging on the wall, showcasing the family photos from Millwall's pre-season since the summer of '94.
Looking at the players in those photos, Moyes felt nostalgic.
Flipping back to the 1994 family photo, they beckoned memories of a time when no one expected great things from players like Larsson, Trezeguet, or Nedved.
Aldrich poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Moyes. The latter sighed, "Mr. Hall, your ability to develop players is truly admirable."
"It's not just my effort; the players are talented, they work hard and they're disciplined."
"No need to downplay it. Perhaps you won't like to hear this, but there are several players in Millwall who, at first glance, might seem lacking in talent, yet now they have become strong players."
"That might come down to our different understanding of talent. If talent just refers to a player's skills, then professional football and fancy football wouldn't be all that different."
Moyes fell silent for a moment, then said earnestly, "Mr. Hall, I would like to formally request a loan for a few players from Millwall until the end of the season. I can assure you that any player loaned to Preston will receive equal treatment and every opportunity to develop. I hope these players can help the team out of its predicament, but due to financial difficulties, we cannot afford the loan fees or the wages over the loan period."
Aldrich stroked his chin and nodded. "While I've studied Preston recently, it's still your first time as head coach. I hope you don't mind if I take a bit of your time. You must clarify a few points for me: first, which players do you want to loan? Second, how will you use them? Third, what's the minimum number of appearances required for the loaned player?"
Moyes perked up and gestured his hand, "Let's sit down and discuss it in detail then."
"Alright!"