Offer

As John was sitting in the cafe, he began to review the information he had on the player he was going to meet: Michael Gray.

He was another player who was recommended by Michael. A Sunderland hero, John remembered Gray as a player who could play anywhere on the left flank. He played as a Left Back or a Left Winger for Sunderland when Leicester and Sunderland were still in Premier League. He also played for English National team. Although he only won three caps, with the amount of competition, it was still impressive.

He could be a great addition to a Leicester squad that will be needing experience and at just 32, he still had some years left to give to football. He could also take Joe Mattock under his wing and make him a better player.

John was thinking when he saw that Gray and his agent had arrived. John stood up and greeted them as they made their way to him.

"Hello, Mr. Gray, Mr. Brown" John shook their hands before sitting down.

"Hello, Mr. Baker"

"So, Mr. Gray, we at Leicester are a fan of your game and are very interested in signing you." John said while waiting for a response from his agent. After the previous deal with Hasselbaink, he knew there was no way around the agents.

"Mr. Baker, there are several teams interested in my client right now, so it will depend on your project to convince Michael. He wants to play for a team that is competitive and is aiming for promotion." Brown said to John.

John knew that was true. Leicester were just one of the teams interested in him and he could take a pick of where he wants to play. But John had confidence in his ability to convince him.

"Mr. Brown, I assure you our aim is to gain promotion. We've hired a new manager, Mr. Diego Simeone and are planning to overhaul our squad in an attempt to make our squad capable of challenging for the top. I think signing Mr. Gray will prove to be a step further in that direction." John said, trying his best to convince Gray.

"And we are willing to provide a 12-month contract with a salary of 200,000 pounds to Mr. Gray." John continued further.

He knew that due to interest of several Championship teams in him, he will command a sizeable salary. Right now the average salary of a Leicester first team player was 120,000 pounds annually but John was prepared to increase the wage bill this season. That's why he was only prepared to give him a 12-month contract rather than trying to tie him down long term. Because the players declined unpredictably, giving him a large contract for more than a year could be very dangerous and weigh them down further down the line.

Gray and Brown were discussing among themselves. John didn't know if this offer was enough to convince them, but it was the best offer he was prepared to give.

"Mr. Baker, we thank you for your consideration and we are very interested in your offer. We would get back to you in two days." Brown said to John.

John knew that they would try to negotiate a better deal somewhere else, but he could only hope that no one was prepared to give a better deal than him because Michael Gray will be a great addition to Leicester City. In addition to his experience, he was a versatile player. He could play for Leicester in either left midfield or left back position.

"Alright. I hope that Mr. Gray decides to play for Leicester." John said to them as they bid farewell.

After that, John took a flight back to Leicester. His schedule was about to get even busier and he had to make a trip encompassing many countries across the Europe starting tomorrow.

There were transfer offers already in place all over the Europe for talented players handpicked by John and several of them were already accepted by the teams. So, John had to make a trip to different countries to convince these players and agents to join Leicester. John was looking forward to this trip as he knew if he could convince these players to come to Leicester, the team will have a solid backbone for years to come.