Bayern's Concession
"You continue negotiating with Bayern. If they insist on a five-year contract, we must make concessions in terms of signing fees and annual salary. Otherwise, we'd rather not sign with them!"
On the phone, Perre nodded, "I understand. However, to negotiate with Bayern, I suggest contacting other clubs more. At least let Bayern know that we are not solely dependent on them!"
As Bayern had already signed an intention contract with Guardiola, Lin and Bayern's negotiations seemed a bit passive.
After settling Guardiola's situation, it seemed like they assumed Lin would transfer to Bayern to find Guardiola.
This made them somewhat overconfident!
If they didn't create some trouble for them, letting them know that Lin was not exclusively tied to Bayern, they wouldn't easily make concessions.
"Well, okay, when I return to Spain during the winter break, I will go to Santiago Bernabeu to watch a few games!"
La Liga teams play more matches than Bundesliga, resulting in a longer schedule and shorter winter break.
While Bundesliga teams are on holiday, La Liga still has several games to play. Real Madrid, for instance, plays at home in the eighteenth round.
When Lin visits Santiago Bernabeu, even without contacting the club's president or officials, it would be enough to stir speculation externally.
Media outlets will find various angles and reasons to hype his potential transfer to Real Madrid!
At that time, if Lin remains silent, neither confirming nor denying, leaving the rumors to circulate, he didn't believe Bayern could remain passive!
"A good strategy! As a player, it's better not to come into contact with Real Madrid people; it's easy to violate the rules and get caught!"
According to the Bosman Law, professional players cannot contact other clubs privately before certain contract conditions are met.
However, the law also states that once a contract has only six months left, it is legally permissible to start negotiations without breaching any rules.
Lin's contract currently has only six months left, so technically, by January next year, he can legally start negotiations.
But it's not advisable for the player to handle this personally; it's better to let the agent handle the negotiations.
...
Midweek, the highly anticipated German transfer market released the latest player valuation rankings.
Lionel Messi, with a record-equalling goal tally, saw his value skyrocket to 150 million euros!
Scoring a hat-trick at Old Trafford in the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo's value also rose by 5 million euros to 105 million euros, ranking him second behind Messi.
From Andres Iniesta at 70 million euros to David Silva at 50 million euros, the rankings showcased familiar faces.
Between the tenth and twentieth spots, two new faces emerged: Neymar from Santos reached 45 million euros, ranking 13th.
Lin from Werder Bremen reached 43 million euros, ranking 14th.
Both players are very young; by February next year, one will be 17 years old, and the other 21 years old, each having at least ten years of prime time ahead.
Especially Lin, his prime period could exceed 15 years if he remains injury-free!
...
As the German transfer market revealed the latest player valuation rankings, within Bayern Munich Club, manager Hoeness was reporting the latest progress of negotiations with Lin's agent to chairman Rummenigge.
"Lin's agent expressed his reluctance to sign a long-term contract with us, only accepting a 3-year deal. He also wants to include a termination clause in the contract and demands a higher signing fee."
Hoeness was visibly dissatisfied with the various demands from Lin's side. He believed that as a young player, Bayern had offered them such generous terms; they should be content and sign gratefully rather than haggle.
After listening for a while, Rummenigge gently tapped his fingers on the chair back, indicating he was contemplating the matter. Hoeness understood this signaling Rummenigge was pondering the issue, so he kept quiet, waiting for his decision.
"If Guardiola and our intention contract are for three years, it is understandable that Lin would only agree to a three-year contract if he is really here for Guardiola."
Currently, Bayern had only signed an intention contract with Guardiola, and both parties could terminate it at any time without substantial costs.
Considering Guardiola agreed to only three years and Lin also desired a three-year agreement, Bayern found it somewhat uncertain about their intentions.
Had they privately agreed on these three years? If that was the case and their negotiations with Lin fell through, would it affect the earlier intention contract with Guardiola?
If Guardiola didn't sign with Bayern due to this matter, they might end up wasting their efforts.
Where would they find a suitable coach then? Rummenigge became very cautious at this point.
For Bayern, Guardiola is currently more crucial, and they must keep him at all costs.
As for Lin, Rummenigge had seen his performance live and was deeply impressed. This is when he formed the idea of acquiring him.
Now, Lin is increasingly unstoppable in the Bundesliga, further cementing their determination to bring him in.
As an extraordinarily talented young player, even if they don't use him for playing, it's an assured investment.
Moreover, according to Lin's agent, he would join Bayern as a free agent, and they wouldn't have to pay a single penny in transfer fees!
In this case, compensating him with a signing fee is entirely reasonable, just like when Eto'o transferred from Barcelona to Internazionale for a low fee, and he was given a high annual salary and signing fee as compensation.
Bayern isn't short of money, and Hoeness, as the manager, can understand the need to save money.
However, they can't risk messing things up just to save money. If that happens, despite having money, they won't have suitable coaches and promising players, so what's the use of having money?
Phenomenal players like Lin are always rare finds and can't be measured by money.
It's because he's young that his value isn't high. If he were over 21 this year, his value might exceed €100 million, and Bayern would have to spend a fortune to acquire him.
As of now, they can acquire him without a transfer fee, and even if they give him a substantial signing fee, they can sell him in the future to recoup the costs.
As long as he doesn't suffer a catastrophic injury, his value will only rise steadily, not fall.
When Guardiola was at Barcelona, he had a city-storming Lionel Messi.
If he could have a similar setup at Bayern, he could likely replicate the coaching miracle from Barcelona and win more championship trophies for Bayern.
If they find the signing fee too expensive, they can simply sell him before his contract expires to recoup the costs.
With his current state and immense growth potential, in a few years, they should have no trouble finding buyers, and buyers will be willing to pay a high price. Bayern might even sell him for over €100 million.
Then, after deducting the costs, they would still earn a significant sum!
If he chooses to stay with the team, Bayern essentially has their own Messi. Just his presence is enough to guarantee their results.
A player like this is like a high-quality financial product—why wait to acquire?
Thinking along these lines, Rummenigge made a decision:
"Here's the deal: you tell his agent that we both compromise. Bayern agrees to their signing fee and termination clause requirements, but they need to extend the contract's duration by one year. They should sign a four-year contract with us. If they agree, we should sign as soon as possible to avoid more long nights!"