Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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"Lance! Good news!"
"Who is it?"
Lance woke up groggily, checked the time. It was 6:25 AM.
He then looked at the caller: Mendes. Jorge Mendes?
Usually, minor matters were handled by Harry Kane, who would relay Mendes's instructions. Mendes rarely called him directly for things like brand signings or commercial promotions.
Seeing him call so early in the morning, and with such excitement in his voice, it definitely wasn't something trivial.
"Jorge, you're up really early."
"Hahaha, sorry, it's transfer season, you know how it is. I have a lot of energy."
"You didn't sleep all night, did you?"
"Pretty much, but none of that matters, Lance, I have great news!"
Mendes knew he had woken Lance, and felt a little apologetic, but not overly so. He was a typical person who exhausted others but never himself.
"Tell me."
What good news could there be? Was he so excited because Real Madrid wanted to buy him?
Lance casually entertained a ridiculous thought, he didn't expect it to actually come true!
"How about Santiago Bernabéu? Do you want to play at Santiago Bernabéu?!"
In Mendes's opinion, every player dreams of playing for Real Madrid. Real Madrid is considered the ultimate destination in European football.
As long as a player is pursued by Real Madrid, as long as he is on Florentino Pérez's list, he is definitely a superstar. Lance had only played his first professional season.
After his birthday in June, he would only be 17 years old. Joining Real Madrid's first team so early meant his starting point was others' finish line; from the beginning of his career, he had already surpassed 99% of players.
He was truly a winner in life. No wonder Mendes was so excited.
"Real Madrid?"
"Yes, I just finished a call with Mr. Florentino, and he said he will definitely make an offer to Bayer Leverkusen. If all goes well, we might apply for a transfer fee of 80 million Euros. I believe Bayer Leverkusen will find it hard to refuse that money! If they refuse, Mr. Florentino wouldn't mind raising the offer to 100 million. So, what do you think of being the youngest 100-million-euro player in history?"
What do I think? Lance only felt that the European football market was severely inflated.
Last season, Gareth Bale became the first player to be valued over 100 million euros, which was one thing. But later, players like Philippe Coutinho, João Félix, Ousmane Dembélé, and Jack Grealish could also command transfer fees over 100 million, which was a bit hard to explain.
Especially FC Barcelona, who became the biggest suckers, signing Dembélé for a total of 148 million euros, only for him to be dubbed an overpriced flop. FC Barcelona, disheartened, sold Dembélé for 50 million euros.
Who knew that his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain would help Dembélé find his form, ultimately leading Paris Saint-Germain to win the Champions League and making him a strong contender for the Ballon d'Or. Lance knew that as long as he kept playing and unlocked templates and skills, he would definitely be worth over 100 million, making every penny more than worth it.
But Florentino daring to bet 100 million euros now, Real Madrid was even richer than he imagined.
"Why the rush?"
"As you know, Real Madrid losing the Champions League title has severely impacted morale, and fans and the club's board are putting pressure on them. Mr. Florentino hopes to bring in a forward with true superstar value to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, to create an invincible trident."
After Mendes's explanation, Lance understood. To put it simply, it was because of the two Champions League semi-final matches, Lance made it very difficult for Real Madrid, almost causing them to be eliminated in the semi-finals.
At that time, Florentino noticed Lance from the stands, he went back and meticulously analyzed Lance's commercial value and future potential with his team. After comprehensive consideration by Zinedine Zidane, Carlo Ancelotti, and others, signing a 17-year-old for 100 million euros was a huge risk, but the potential future returns were equally immense!
Fortune favors the bold, and Real Madrid could afford to gamble! Just the jersey sales alone could recoup the cost.
Ever since Lance rose to prominence at Bayer Leverkusen, his number 39 jersey instantly became the club's top seller, with an almost 1000% increase in sales, the official store was frequently out of stock, and the machines at the cooperative manufacturing plants were smoking from overwork, still unable to meet demand. Fans from all over the world, especially wealthy Chinese fans, loved Lance's jersey the most, showing that signing Lance would be entirely beneficial for Real Madrid.
"If the transfer fees can be agreed upon by both sides, would you be willing to join Real Madrid? To play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luka Modrić, and the others, the Champions League title, the Ballon d'Or, all could be yours in the future! Your future is limitless!"
Mendes tried his best to persuade Lance. He was just a 17-year-old kid; as a professional agent, a little work would surely seal the deal easily.
Who could refuse Real Madrid? The other end was a bit silent, so Mendes added more fuel to the fire.
"Do you know how much Real Madrid is offering you?"
"How much could it be? At most a 20% increase, right?"
In Lance's opinion, Florentino wouldn't spend an astronomical sum to sign a 17-year-old newcomer. His current annual salary of 10 million euros after renewing with Bayer Leverkusen was already very high, considered top-tier in both La Liga and the Premier League, it would probably be difficult to get a raise in the short term.
But then Mendes's voice mysteriously lowered, as if he was revealing a big secret:
"The price can be negotiated, don't worry. If you're willing to go, I can get you a deal on par with Cristiano Ronaldo."
Mendes's "Cristiano Ronaldo", of course, referred to the current Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo renewed his contract for 5 years until 2018.
His new contract had long been leaked by the media, a pre-tax annual salary of 21 million euros, which translated to over 400,000 euros per week. Aside from Lionel Messi, no one in world football could compare to Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of salary.
According to Mendes, he had only just renewed his contract less than half a year ago, and he could get a significant raise again? For a moment, Lance was indeed tempted.
But he quickly calmed down. There was no free lunch in the world, even with a cheat, it wasn't that easy to get.
Assuming he really transferred to Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo would still be Real Madrid's top player; the tactical and dressing room status would undoubtedly revolve around Cristiano Ronaldo. Even Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Luka Modrić, and others would be responsible for assisting Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lance would at most replace Benzema's position, playing as a center forward, occasionally rotating with attacking midfield and winger positions, he would need to set up goals for Cristiano Ronaldo. Being his subordinate would indeed be comfortable, glorious, and lucrative.
But this was not what Lance wanted. Rather than being Cristiano Ronaldo's subordinate, Lance preferred to view Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as rivals and challenge them!
Only by personally ending the "Messi-Ronaldo era" could he create an era that belonged solely to him! Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were hurdles Lance had to overcome.
No matter who his teammates were, Lance could not truly achieve his ultimate goal. Thinking of this, Lance took a deep breath.
"Mr. Mendes."
"What do you say? Are you interested?"
"No, I'm very happy at Bayer Leverkusen this season, and with only one Bundesliga title, I'm not very satisfied."
"What?"
Mendes was puzzled. What else could he be dissatisfied with after leading the team to a championship? What more could he want?
"Falling in the Champions League semi-finals, I'm not reconciled. Next season, I want to fight for it again with my brothers!"
This was not an excuse. Lance was not the kind of person who would forget loyalty for profit or betray trust.
Bayer Leverkusen fans treated Lance like a king, supporting him from the very beginning, and Lance couldn't bear to disappoint them. Even if he were to leave one day, he would at least win a few more championships before going.
Moreover, Lance wanted to lead Bayer Leverkusen to try and challenge for the pinnacle of Europe!
"Is that so? Then what about invitations from other teams? Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City…"
"No need to say more, Mr. Mendes. At least this season, I will stay here."
"Alright."
Mendes calmed down. He was an agent who respected his players relatively well. Since Lance had made his decision, Mendes was willing to respect him.
"It's not difficult to challenge for the Bundesliga at Bayer Leverkusen, but winning the Champions League is very difficult. After all, your team's setup is limited…"
"I'm willing to try!"
If his good friend De Bruyne joined next season, and they strengthened the defense, Bayer Leverkusen truly had hope!