"Jorge, you have to understand, even the previous €300,000 was a top-five annual salary in Oviedo."
"Haha, Fernando, I know. But in your top five, besides André, there's no one else worth a team like Barcelona shelling out ten million for. Don't you think I'm right?"
"Jorge, €500,000 is absolutely impossible. At most €350,000."
"Okay, deal. I'll head to Spain in a while and we'll sign a new contract."
It wasn't until he heard the dial tone on the other end that Hierro realized he'd been played. Mendes never actually expected André to get a massive raise this time—he was merely laying the groundwork for the future. The raise was just an excuse, but Hierro had fallen for it instantly. Bloody hell, that son of a bitch.
"What's wrong? What's making you so happy, Jorge?"
Watching Mendes walk in after finishing the call, Cristiano asked in confusion.
"I got André a raise."
"Ah? Why? Hasn't he been at Oviedo for less than three months?"
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Oh, bloody hell, Cristiano. Last time André said he scored three goals—didn't you watch the video?"
"No, I got busy later and forgot."
"You should watch it first. Guess whose call I received today?"
"Whose?" Hearing Mendes's prompt, Cristiano asked while taking out his tablet.
"Alemany. A call from Barcelona club general manager Alemany."
"What did he call you for? Could it be because of André?"
"Exactly. Do you know? Barcelona made an offer of ten million euros to Oviedo to buy André. And as far as I know, the first offer was 7.5 million euros. After being rejected by Fernando, they immediately raised the price to ten million. It's clear Barcelona is very serious, so you really should watch André's match video."
Mendes sat there quietly waiting for Cristiano to finish the video. After Barcelona contacted him, he'd also found and watched the video of yesterday's match between Oviedo and the Barcelona B team. Although he wasn't a player, having been an agent for so many years, he prided himself on having a good eye for talent. This time, he knew that if he hadn't helped handle André's affairs last time as a favor to Cristiano, he definitely would have missed out on a talent like André. After watching the videos of the only two matches where André came on as a substitute, Mendes even had the thought that André's future might be even greater than Cristiano's.
Cristiano sat there watching, but Mendes knew very well that Cristiano watched it more than once. Moreover, the expression on Cristiano's face told him that Cristiano was extremely shocked at this moment.
"This is André? This is really André?"
"Yes, this is André."
"No, I can't believe this is real. I can't believe this. Why? Why did nobody know about this when he was at Castilla?"
"While I don't know what happened, you now know why Barcelona is so eager to buy him."
"Of course. Any team that encounters such a player—and a sixteen-year-old at that—would want to buy him. But Jorge, I don't agree with André going to Barcelona right now. It's not because I dislike Barcelona, but because going there now might not be good for his development. On the contrary, staying at Oviedo is very helpful for his growth."
"I know. That's why I didn't agree when Alemany called me. The reason I called Fernando was to tell him that we know all about André's situation, so don't try to hide things from us. I hope that when the day comes for André to leave Oviedo, he won't stand in the way."
"It's truly a miraculous thing. If André can have a good future, I believe mãe will be the happiest. When she called me last time, she even blamed me for leaving André alone in Spain. And what annoyed me most was that all those codfish balls she made were actually prepared for André. Sometimes I even doubt if André is her biological son."
Whether it was miraculous or not, André didn't know. But what made him happy was that on the way back to his apartment, someone actually asked him for an autograph. This meant he already had his own fans. However, this happiness didn't last more than a few minutes because that idiot fan actually asked him to sign 'King Kong' in his notebook.
He was so angry he almost coughed up blood. After returning home, André kept thinking about how to get rid of the bloody nickname 'King Kong.'
"Cristiano?"
"Hey, André. You should call me big brother."
"Alright, big brother. Why are you calling me? Did something happen? Did you and Georgina have a fight?"
"You brat, what kind of talk is that? Jorge and I both know about what happened in Spain. I didn't expect you to be such a talent. No wonder Fernando insisted on taking you away back then. Anyway, I'll let Jorge talk to you."
"André."
"Mr. Jorge, did something happen?"
"No, it's like this. Today I received a call from the Barcelona general manager. They hope to bring you to Barcelona."
"Oh, that. I know about it. Mr. Fernando told me, but I don't want to go. I still want to stay at Oviedo for now."
"No, no, no, André, listen to me. What you know was Barcelona's first offer. After Fernando rejected them, they made another offer of ten million euros. Additionally, they called me directly. As for whether it's suitable for you to go to Barcelona, both Cristiano and I agree you should stay at Oviedo. However, I got you a raise from Fernando. Starting now, your annual salary is €350,000. I'm calling just to tell you to focus on playing. I'll handle the other off-field matters for you."
"Ah? Mr. Jorge, wouldn't that be inappropriate? I feel like it's a bit like kicking someone when they're down."
"It's fine, André. You have to understand that you're a professional player. Playing is your profession, playing well is what you should do, and the compensation the club gives you should match your ability. This is the most basic rule for maintaining this market. Don't worry—Fernando won't have a problem with this raise. Instead, he'll be even more at ease."
"Alright, I understand."
Although André didn't quite grasp what Mendes meant by that, he still chose to trust him.
What André didn't know was that, just as Mendes said, after learning about Barcelona's acquisition attempt, the raise request Mendes made on André's behalf indeed convinced Hierro and the Oviedo club that he wouldn't choose to leave Oviedo for the time being. This gave Hierro and the club the confidence they needed for their subsequent arrangements.
A raise meant commitment. A commitment meant investment. And investment meant André was staying.
At least for now.
But Mendes knew—and Hierro knew—that "for now" wouldn't last forever.
The clock was ticking.
And Barcelona was still watching.
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