Capítulo 230: Manchester City’s Lavish Offers
Manchester City's offer put Bayern Munich in a difficult position. The €35 million bid was right at Bayern's psychological threshold. Selling Kroos at that price was something Bayern could accept.
However, Kroos had been performing well at Bayern. He was still young and a product of Bayern's youth academy. Selling him for that price seemed like a bit of a loss for Bayern, especially with the Champions League knockout stage just around the corner. Top clubs like Bayern don't usually want to disrupt their core lineup during such crucial times.
If Manchester City had made this offer during the summer, Bayern might have considered it. But the winter break was too short, and even if they could find a suitable replacement in the transfer market, there wouldn't be enough time to integrate that player into the team.
Especially after being drawn against Chelsea in the Champions League, Guardiola only wanted to make minor adjustments to strengthen specific areas, not lose a key player. So, he requested the club reject Manchester City's offer.
However, Uli Hoeness didn't immediately follow through with Guardiola's request. Instead, he reported the matter to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
"€35 million might just be Manchester City's initial offer. If we negotiate with them, they could raise it. Even if it doesn't reach the €50 million they offered for Modric, it could go up to €40 million or even €45 million. If we could sell Kroos at that price…"
Hoeness didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was clear.
Selling Kroos for over €40 million would be a big win for Bayern.
Rummenigge was thinking further ahead. Guardiola had explicitly opposed the sale, and Rummenigge didn't want to go against his coach. Besides, Guardiola had a point: the league, cup, and Champions League were all entering the final stages, and it wasn't wise to make significant changes to the team's core structure.
But instead of directly rejecting Hoeness, Rummenigge asked a question:
"How much time is left on Kroos' contract with the club?"
Hoeness quickly replied, "His contract has a year and a half left; it expires next summer!"
"Then it's time to start renewal talks with him!"
A year and a half was too short a time. Delaying the renewal talks would not be in Bayern's best interest.
"We've already contacted his agent, but Kroos' agent said there's no rush to renew. It seems like they want to wait until after the World Cup to negotiate."
"Waiting for a better offer, are they?" Rummenigge frowned, recalling that after Bayern won the Champions League last year, Kroos' agent had asked the club for a pay raise. Kroos wasn't satisfied with his current salary and wanted a higher wage.
It's normal for players to want a pay raise, as it not only affects their financial interests but also reflects their status within the team. But Bayern's wage structure wasn't set up for significant changes. If they gave Kroos a raise, players like Robben and Müller, who hadn't renewed their contracts yet, would also expect pay increases.
So, last year, Bayern rejected Kroos' request. Now, it seemed Kroos hadn't given up and planned to negotiate after the World Cup. If Kroos still hadn't renewed his contract by then, he would be entering the final year of his contract. In that situation, if he refused to extend his contract, Bayern would have to sell him quickly or risk losing both the player and any potential transfer fee.
Rummenigge felt a sudden urge to accept Manchester City's offer and sell Kroos immediately. But he held onto his reason and didn't make such a rash decision.
"Let's continue talking with Manchester City and see how high they're willing to go."
"Chairman, what do you mean by that?" Hoeness was unsure of Rummenigge's intentions.
"Real Madrid negotiated with Tottenham for a year to get Bale. What's wrong with making Manchester City wait for six months?"
Hoeness immediately understood Rummenigge's plan. They were going to string Manchester City along like a fish on a hook!
However, Manchester City, despite their wealth, wasn't foolish. After receiving Bayern's response, they didn't waste any more time on Kroos. Instead, they turned their attention to their final target, and their true objective all along—Cesc Fabregas.
Like Kroos, Fabregas had only a year and a half left on his contract. So, Manchester City offered the same €35 million bid.
When Barcelona received Manchester City's offer, they were furious!
When Fabregas transferred from Arsenal to Barcelona, they had paid a €40 million transfer fee. Although Fabregas personally contributed €5 million of that amount, Barcelona had still paid €35 million. Now, Manchester City was trying to take Fabregas away for the same price?
What a joke!
Fabregas was 26 years old and in his prime. Barcelona believed that since Real Madrid had sold Özil for €50 million, Fabregas should at least fetch the same amount. Otherwise, wouldn't that mean they were being outdone by their rivals?
A Barcelona player couldn't possibly be worth less than a Real Madrid player!
Moreover, everyone knew Arsenal had been tight on cash, yet Real Madrid had still managed to squeeze €50 million out of Wenger. Manchester City, known worldwide as a wealthy club, clearly wasn't short on money. But offering just €35 million for a player was far from sincere!
So Barcelona not only rejected Manchester City's offer but countered with a €50 million bid to buy Manchester City's number 10, Lin.
This counteroffer was clearly a joke!
If €50 million were enough to pry Lin away from Manchester City, every top club would be knocking down City's door!
When Pellegrini received Barcelona's response, he was furious.
"What does Barcelona mean by this? Are they seriously interested in Lin?"
If Manchester City lost Lin, they would drop a level, from a top-tier team to just a strong team. The entire team's tactical system was built around Lin, the absolute core of the squad. If he left, Manchester City would collapse.
Fahim nodded. "Barcelona certainly hopes to bring Lin back to Camp Nou, but don't worry. We won't accept any offer for Lin. He's not for sale at any price!"
With Fahim's assurance, Pellegrini breathed a sigh of relief.
City had plenty of money, and if they didn't want to sell a player, no other team could buy them, no matter the price.
"Is Fabregas still a possibility?"
Pellegrini asked, feeling less confident. Being turned down by both Real Madrid and Bayern made him realize one thing: these top clubs were reluctant to make significant changes to their squads mid-season.
Buying key players from these clubs would be extremely difficult—unless the players in question were not crucial to the team's success, like Mata at Chelsea.
Speaking of Chelsea, Pellegrini suddenly remembered something. Lin had previously recommended a young Chelsea player to him and even left him a tape. The player's name was De Bruyne.
Pellegrini searched his office for a while and quickly found the tape.
"What's this?" Fahim asked, curious.
"Watch, and you'll see!"
The two men sat in Pellegrini's office and watched the tape, which showcased Lin and De Bruyne's brilliant combinations during their time in the Bundesliga.
After watching, both Pellegrini and Fahim wore expressions of delight.
"This is exactly the kind of player we need!"
They said in unison, then paused, exchanging surprised glances before bursting into laughter.
"His chemistry with Lin is excellent!"
"Yes, and his passes are incredibly sharp!"
"I looked him up. He and Lin were last season's Bundesliga assist leader and top scorer!"
"The Bundesliga assist leader? So why hasn't he been utilized by Mourinho at Chelsea?"
"Even Mata didn't get playing time under Mourinho!"
De Bruyne was just a newcomer. Although he had won the Bundesliga assist title, he hadn't proven himself in the Premier League. On the other hand, Mata had already proven his abilities in the Premier League and had been Chelsea's attacking core for the past few seasons. Yet even Mata had been discarded by Mourinho, so it wasn't surprising that De Bruyne had been overlooked.
Pellegrini mused that Mourinho and Guardiola were two extremes. Guardiola was excellent at utilizing midfielders, maximizing their potential and abilities. Many top players, especially midfielders, were eager to play under Guardiola.
Mourinho, however, seemed to be the opposite. It was strange!
"Let's go for it!"
Pellegrini made up his mind. Since it was difficult to buy top midfielders from other top clubs, they would bring De Bruyne to the Etihad Stadium instead.
"We're the league leaders, and Chelsea might not let him go so easily," Pellegrini cautioned. Being at the top of the league came with its own set of challenges—like becoming a prime target for other teams.
Chelsea might have sold Mata to rivals Manchester United, but if City had offered the same amount, Chelsea would probably have rejected it. The reason was simple: City was already strong. Selling Mata to them would only make them stronger, making it much harder for other teams to wrest the title away from City.
Although Chelsea was currently fifth in the league standings, they were still a team with championship aspirations. Their aggressive moves in the transfer market showed they weren't about to hand the title to City easily.
So, even if De Bruyne was of little use to them, they might not agree to City's offer. Instead, they might sell him to another team in a different league for a lower price.
"Yes, I know. I'll continue to engage with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and
Bayern, creating the impression that we haven't given up on signing players from top clubs. Then, when we make an offer to Chelsea, their guard might be down," Fahim said.
Pellegrini's eyes lit up at the plan. A feint strategy like this was clever.
But what if one of those three clubs—Real, Barça, or Bayern—agreed to sell their player to City?
"Of course, we'd buy them all!" Fahim said with a confident smile.
Who are we? We're Manchester City, the richest club in football!
Other clubs might haggle over transfer fees, but not City. Money was never an issue for them!
If one of those top clubs agreed to sell, City would happily buy the player. Money was no object!
So, on January 10th, Manchester City raised their bids to the three top clubs once again.
They increased their offer for Modric to €55 million and raised their bids for Kroos and Fabregas to €40 million each.
News of City's simultaneous offers to three of the biggest clubs in world football quickly spread, becoming the biggest story in football. As the media and fans closely followed these potential transfers, City quietly made a €15 million offer to Chelsea for De Bruyne, a player Mourinho had abandoned.
Compared to their bids for the three top clubs, City's €15 million offer for De Bruyne seemed almost insignificant—so much so that it barely made headlines in the mainstream press.
Clearly, everyone assumed that with City's lavish spending, a bid like this was for a role player or a backup, not a key starter. After all, De Bruyne had only made five appearances for Chelsea this season, providing just one assist. His performances had been underwhelming.
Such a player didn't warrant much media attention.
But in reality, City had already gotten the player they wanted most. They were now planning to end their negotiations with the three top clubs and shift their focus to strengthening their defense.
But then, something unexpected happened!
Bayern Munich suddenly showed signs of softening their stance on Kroos' transfer.
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