98 Sky-High Signing Fee

 Chapter 101: Sky-High Signing Fee

The style of play of Werder Bremen has always been robust, and their team characteristic is the daringness to tackle aggressively.

In their previous match against Schalke 04, after the opposing midfielder Neustädter maliciously fouled De Bruyne, the Werder Bremen players took turns to retaliate, eventually forcing him off the field.

In this match, Neustädter became the villain again, aiming to harm their team's sole core.

How could this be tolerated?

It couldn't!

So, before Neustädter could strike again, Werder Bremen launched their counterattack.

In the 33rd minute, Schmidt took the first shot, and his fierce tackle brought Neustädter down.

The latter let out an exaggerated scream, rolling on the ground holding his leg, as if he was on his deathbed.

Seeing him in such agony, the referee showed a yellow card to Schmidt.

Without protesting, Schmidt, passing by Neustädter, glared at him fiercely.

This foul made Neustädter behave himself for quite a while. After all, those who are tough fear death, and those who fear death are willing to do anything.

The others didn't mind committing fouls and earning cards. They just wanted to take you down. And here you are, daring to commit a crime in broad daylight. Do you not value your legs?

Without Neustädter's malicious fouls, Lin on the field became hard to contain once again.

In the 35th minute, he once again performed the 45-degree curve pass just like in the match against Schalke 04.

The ball, with an extremely unscientific trajectory, flew past the Wolfsburg players, accurately reaching Werder Bremen's center forward, Anavotovic.

The latter was very surprised at the precision of the pass, but the quality of the pass was so high that when the ball reached him, its speed had already slowed down.

Anavotovic didn't need to control the ball; he could just kick it directly.

He didn't waste his teammates' wonderful pass. He directly kicked the ball, piercing through the hands of Wolfsburg's goalkeeper Bellerio and into the net.

After the goal, Anavotovic ran straight to Lin, squatted in front of him, gestured to him to sit on his back, and then ran to the sidelines with him to celebrate.

More than half of the credit for this goal had to go to Lin!

If it weren't for his accurate pass, Anavotovic wouldn't have had such a comfortable shooting opportunity.

"Lin, how did you make that pass just now?"

"Was it a fluke?"

Teammates also ran over. After celebrating, each one of them was curious. They wanted to know how Lin managed to make that incredible pass and whether they could learn it.

Can they learn this by themselves?

If they could learn it, they all wanted to learn!

The most feared thing in making a through pass in the attack is that there are defensive players on the passing line. As long as the opponent extends his foot, the ball won't get through.

But Lin's pass just now perfectly solved this problem. His pass could bend, and the exaggerated curve made the defending players only watch the football fly away from them, having no way to reach out and intercept.

If they could all learn this trick, then in the future, it's likely that everyone in Werder Bremen would become a curved pass maestro.

Not to mention the players participating in the match, even De Bruyne watching the live broadcast of the match at home, he also widened his eyes after seeing Lin's incredible pass, wishing he could rush to the field immediately and learn from him.

"How did he manage to do that?"

"How can he make such an imaginative pass?"

De Bruyne held his head, wishing he could replay the scene of Lin's pass ten or a hundred times...

The match restarted, and after falling behind, Wolfsburg put even more effort into their attack, determined not to lose, which would result in them completely falling into the relegation zone.

Even if they couldn't win this match, securing a draw for one point was good, but the only thing they couldn't accept was losing at home.

"Run, run, and show some spirit!"

Their coach Felix Magath was notorious in the Bundesliga for his strict training methods. He particularly emphasized physical training for the team, most famously making the players carry a very heavy solid ball to train their muscle strength in various parts of the body.

In addition, he also liked to make the players go mountain climbing and running in the woods...

Under such high-intensity training, the teams coached by Magath had a much stronger physical reserve than other teams.

Therefore, his tactic demanded the players to move actively and aggressively to try to overpower the opponents with such a highly aggressive tactic.

The tactic may have worked at first, but after using it frequently in the Bundesliga, everyone knew how to play against them.

Just like in this game with Werder Bremen, you guys like to run, right?

So I'll play a possession strategy, increase the number of passes, let you run to your heart's content.

With Lin directing in midfield, with Fritz and Yunuzovitch intercepting and sweeping in the defensive midfield positions.

Werder Bremen's possession play may not be like Barcelona's, but it's still effective against Wolfsburg, a team fighting relegation.

Wolfsburg's players were frustrated; they didn't want to run because they couldn't get the ball back and were being toyed with by the opposition.

But the coach on the sidelines kept yelling at them to run.

No choice, had to run with gritted teeth.

In the end, they ran for dozens of minutes but didn't even score a goal.

Instead, Werder Bremen scored again in the 64th minute of the second half, sealing the victory.

As the game neared its end, the fans at the Volkswagen Arena began leaving early.

The game was too ugly; our players were simply being outplayed by the opponents, afraid that one more second would make them burst their lungs.

Coach Magath sat grim-faced on the sideline; after consecutive losses, he could sense the danger looming.

The club had been in contact with Schuster lately, seemingly interested in having him replace Magath.

This season, Wolfsburg not only had poor results, but the atmosphere in the locker room was also very bad.

Many players in the team had conflicts with Magath, unhappy with his grueling training methods.

If his tough training could bring better results, perhaps the players could endure it.

But since his methods hadn't yielded anything, only causing players to feel tormented, they naturally didn't want to support him.

They hoped for a new coach, a new style of play.

Wolfsburg's issues had nothing to do with Werder Bremen; after securing an away win, their league points reached 30, leading Bayern Munich by one point with a game in hand, temporarily topping the Bundesliga table, becoming the new leaders.

Though Werder Bremen didn't stay at the top for long as Bayern Munich, three hours later, slaughtered Hannover 96 with a 5-0 scoreline at home to reclaim the top spot.

Nevertheless, it was the first time this season in the Bundesliga with a change at the top.

Therefore, Germany's major media outlets reported on this matter.

They praised Werder Bremen's outstanding performance this season, believing in their chances to overthrow Bayern Munich and snatch the league championship.

Even in Debloin's absence due to injury, Lin leading the team alone achieved such good results, leaving the media in disbelief.

"The award for the best newcomer of this season's Bundesliga seems to be settled even before it starts; I don't think anyone can take that award away from Lin!"

A football legend wrote in Bild:

"In the absence of Debloin due to injury, Lin appeared in midfield. Perhaps initially underestimated in that position by outsiders.

But in these two games, Lin's four excellent assists answer all doubts: he's still the top player in midfield! Considering he played as a free man in the Spain national team, we have reason to believe that he may be able to excel in any position in the midfield.

It's hard to imagine he's less than 17 years old! Honestly, despite my years of watching football, I've never seen such a player before.

This means we may be witnessing the birth of a legendary figure."

Despite the numerous praises from the German media for Lin, this report sparked widespread discussions. The reason is simple – the winter break is approaching!

The arrival of the winter break signifies the imminent opening of the winter transfer window.

For many top clubs aiming to sign Lin, this is an opportunity they won't miss.

As Lin's agent, Pere has been extremely busy during this time.

His phone hasn't stopped ringing almost 24/7 with so many teams wanting to take Lin this winter.

Not only the well-known top clubs, but even some smaller clubs have called him with a try-and-see attitude.

After all, the buyout clause at Barca is not high, only five million euros!

Regardless of the outcome, it's worth a try; after all, there's no cost involved.

If by any chance the other party is interested in their team, they'll hit the jackpot.

Pere's influence in the agent industry is not as great as the top agents, making a big difference.

Therefore, facing inquiries from top clubs and a large number of smaller clubs, he didn't lose patience; instead, he patiently explained and communicated every call.

 This allowed him to establish connections with these clubs, even if this transfer may or may not succeed. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he finally managed to establish relationships with these clubs.

Later, when operating the transfers of other players, he wouldn't be at a loss for connections.

For this reason, Pere felt extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to sign with Lin. If it weren't for Lin, he wouldn't have had the chance to contact so many clubs.

So, after finishing his own business, he specially flew to Germany to report on his work progress with Lin in Bremen.

"The current situation is like this; a total of nine top clubs have extended invitations to you, hoping to take you away during the winter break. The others are some smaller clubs, which I assume you wouldn't be interested in, so I politely declined on your behalf."

Lin nodded and took a glance at the list.

At the forefront of the top clubs stands Real Madrid of La Liga, promising a starting position and willing to offer Lin a yearly salary of 7 million euros.

This salary isn't too high among top players, but for a young player like Lin, it's already a top-tier salary.

Lin glanced at the remaining clubs and noticed the names of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich.

Among these, Bayern Munich piqued his interest:

"What are the conditions that Bayern Munich is offering?"

Lin currently has no interest in other teams, and given Pep Guardiola's upcoming move to Bayern Munich, it's highly probable that he'll be heading there next.

The Bundesliga suits young players for leveling up; having played here for six months, he has already adapted to the rhythm of the games.

Before reaching adulthood and completing physical development, he doesn't plan to take risks in other leagues.

Firstly, different leagues have different styles, and suddenly adopting a different style in another league may present adaptation issues, which isn't conducive to quickly earning system points.

Secondly, Guardiola excels at coaching and utilizing young players, and under his tutelage, Lin can learn a lot.

Moreover, Bayern's dominance in the Bundesliga is so strong, and in recent years, their squad has been at its peak.

Playing at Bayern allows him to earn points, win honors, and also grow while enjoying overwhelming dominance in the Bundesliga.

All of this is crucial for Lin at his current age.

He has previously discussed this with Pere, and the latter is also aware of this.

So, upon hearing Lin's question, Pere immediately presented the proposed contract from Bayern Munich:

"They are hoping to sign you for five years, with an annual salary of 6 million euros, and an additional signing bonus of 5 million euros."

Upon hearing this, Lin frowned.

"How does Bayern Munich's wage scale compare?"

"Five players in Bayern Munich earn more than you. The highest earner is Ribéry at 8 million euros, followed by Schweinsteiger at 7.7 million euros, Robben, Gomez, and Lahm all earn 6.5 million euros."

"Your national team teammate, Javi Martinez, earns 4.5 million."

Lin nodded, and after considering this information, it seemed that Bayern's offer was not low. Their wage spending certainly isn't comparable to Real Madrid's; after all, Real Madrid is the most successful club in the world, and their commercial development is beyond what Bayern can compare with.

Last season, Real Madrid's wage spending surpassed Bayern's by approximately 45 million euros, a hefty quarter more.

Given that all these salaries are post-tax, calculating pre-tax, Lin's annual salary already exceeds 10 million euros, making him a millionaire.

"It's probably difficult for Bayern to increase their wages. If it's higher, it would affect the stability of their salary system, but I can try to negotiate for a higher signing bonus for you. After your contract with Barcelona ends, if you join Bayern as a free agent, I can help them save a significant transfer fee."

This transfer fee can be paid to you in the form of a signing bonus, as an additional compensation.

Pere's words instantly piqued Lin's interest; he had seen some relevant reports before.

The outside world estimated his transfer fee to be at least 40 million euros. If all this money were to be deposited into his account as a signing bonus, then he'd strike it rich.

Just thinking that Guardiola worked himself to the bone for so many years and couldn't even muster 20 million euros, and even then, once he signs, Lin would instantly receive 40 million euros.

Lin couldn't help but slightly smile at the thought.

"Cough, cough. Bayern probably won't offer that much; 20 million is likely, but anything more, they probably won't be willing to pay."

Pere's words caught Lin off guard, and he immediately asked back:

"Why? Does Bayern think I'm not worth that price?"

"No, they wouldn't overlook your value, but they might think that after signing a contract with Pep, dealing with your contract would be easy. In this case, their mental price limit wouldn't be too high, and a signing fee of 40 million euros would probably be hard to achieve."

Lin was a bit unhappy, not because he was greedy, but because this approach seemed somewhat disrespectful to him.

"What if I join Real Madrid for free, how much would Mr. Florentino offer me?"

"Fifty million euros!"

Pere didn't hesitate, he answered directly.

Lin looked surprised at him; it seemed like they had already been in contact with Florentino privately.

No wonder he listed Real Madrid at the top; he wondered how many benefits Florentino had offered them privately.

"Ahem, he promised me an extra 5 million euros commission if this transfer happens."

Usually, a professional player's agent's commission is around 10%, but Pere and Lin's contract commission was only 5%.

Even so, if Lin signed with Real Madrid, he would still receive 2.5 million euros from this 50 million signing fee.

Considering this situation, the 5 million euro commission offered by Florentino was naturally very attractive to him.

No wonder he prioritized Real Madrid; from his personal interest perspective, facilitating Lin's transfer to Real Madrid would be most beneficial.

Lin stared at Pere for a few seconds, somewhat marveling at the vast power of money that even tempted his uncle.

"If you don't want to go to Real Madrid, I can immediately call Chairman Florentino to turn down his invitation."

Pere felt a bit awkward being scrutinized by Lin. Even though he was eager to earn this money, he wouldn't go against Lin's wishes if he wasn't interested in Real Madrid.

"No need, let's not respond to them for now. I don't plan on transferring this winter break, so I'll refuse invitations from other teams. Let's wait until the end of the season when my contract with Barcelona expires before making a decision.

As for the invitations from Real Madrid and Bayern, you can continue discussing with them. I probably won't go to Real Madrid. 

Primarily, it's regarding Bayern; you should try to negotiate the signing fee. My bottom line is 30 million euros. For the contract, try to limit it to within three years. I don't want a long contract with Bayern. Additionally, in the contract, include a buyout clause, which shouldn't exceed 150 million euros."

Lin had clear views on his contract matters, and Pere should just follow his instructions when negotiating.

Since the end of the season is far off, there's no rush; negotiations can proceed slowly.

Lin believed that with his improving performance on the field, Bayern would surely make concessions.