Chương 86: Ferguson's Favorable Outlook
Not only Real Madrid, but after the news spread, almost all the top clubs from the five major leagues were interested in Lin.
Milan, AC Milan Club.
Galliani first found the club president Berlusconi to report the matter.
"Boss, should we still follow the original offer of 45 million euros to buy Lin from Barca?" Galliani clearly had a change of heart. Lin's release clause was only 5 million euros, so if they paid 45 million euros, wouldn't they be fools? If this gets out, it would be ridiculous!
Berlusconi lit a cigar and took a slow puff.
"This kid's performance in the Spanish national team is very impressive, and now he has attracted the attention of many top clubs. If 45 million euros can really bring him back, do you think it's a loss?"
Galliani frowned and thought for a while. Judging from Lin's current performance, he was already a phenomenal player. If they spent 45 million euros just for his current abilities, it might be a bit expensive. But if you consider his enormous potential, then this price is not expensive at all, but rather very cheap.
For example, after seeing how Messi performed in football at the age of 25, if someone offered you a chance to go back in time and make an offer to him when he was 18, how much would you be willing to pay?
Many clubs would probably not hesitate to pay over 100 million euros in transfer fees just to take Messi from Barcelona!
And Lin is like the young Messi.
In fact, he's even stronger than Messi was at the same age!
In comparison, 45 million euros for Lin is incredibly cheap! If you're willing to pay a billion euros for Messi, why wouldn't you be willing to pay 45 million euros for Lin?
There's no reason not to buy him unless you're convinced that he will be seriously injured on the field and then be ruined by injuries.
Otherwise, there's no reason not to buy him!
"The style of the Bundesliga is different from our Serie A. They don't focus much on defense, play straightforwardly, and often achieve exaggerated scores, so for offensive players, achieving good stats isn't difficult.
If this kid is playing in our Serie A, his goal tally will definitely be halved!"
Galliani was still trying to find reasons to prove that Lin wasn't worth the price. He still had a sense of superiority. Even though the world-renowned glory of Serie A was no longer there, as a club that was once a powerhouse, they still looked down on Bundesliga as a newcomer.
It used to be that even the three superstars of Germany, Matthäus, Klinsmann, and Breitner, had to come to their Serie A to make a living!
Berlusconi glanced at his old friend and said in a casual tone:
"Each league has its own style. The Bundesliga advocates attacking, while Serie A values defense, there's no need to look down on them."
"But in terms of match entertainment, the high-scoring Bundesliga doesn't necessarily lose to Serie A, plus, the Bundesliga is a true membership-based league, the financial situation of their teams is generally better than ours in Serie A."
"Don't use the old views to look at them. The performances of Bundesliga teams in the Champions League in recent seasons have been much stronger than our Serie A!"
AC Milan used to be a face of Serie A in European competitions, but in recent seasons, AC Milan's performance in the Champions League has been very poor.
Since the 2006-2007 season, after AC Milan won the revenge against Liverpool in the Champions League final to win the Champions League, in nearly five seasons, they were eliminated from the round of 16 three times, the quarterfinals once, and once failed to even qualify for the Champions League, the speed of their decline was comparable to Real Madrid, the perennial participant in the Champions League.
But after Real Madrid signed Mourinho, their Champions League record quickly improved, and they have reached the semifinals for two consecutive seasons.
Real Madrid has already lost the title of the perennial participant in the Champions League, but what about AC Milan? With their current lineup, it's not clear how long it will take for them to make a breakthrough in the Champions League.
Galliani actually just minded the money and didn't want to spend so much to buy people.
He himself was very aware of Lin's abilities. The price of 45 million euros was not expensive, but at this time, AC Milan's financial situation was quite worrying.
Club president Berlusconi was entangled in legal issues and after the "phone-gate" incident, the investment in the entire Serie A league significantly decreased, except for that idiot Moratti who recklessly spent a lot to win a Champions League in the 09-10 season, other top clubs were hesitant and unable to invest heavily.
Making them spend such high transfer fees to buy a newcomer, Galliani was a bit reluctant.
Especially when they could try spending less, he didn't want to be seen as a pushover.
"That's settled then. AC Milan is the face of Serie A; the San Siro stadium cannot go without a superstar for too long. If this 45 million euros can really bring back Lin, it will be the hope for AC Milan's resurgence!" Berlusconi, however, didn't quite share this view; he had a longer-term perspective.
Since the club president spoke that way, Galliani didn't have much to say and could only follow his orders.
Manchester, inside the Manchester United club.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who was about to retire, was discussing the team's winter transfer plans with the club's owners' sons, Avram and Joel.
"These are some players I have in mind. Take a look!" Ferguson handed the list over to them. He could actually decide the transfers himself, but considering he would retire next season, discussing with the Glazer family was a wise move so that he wouldn't be blamed if the new coach didn't approve of the players he brought in.
Avram took the list from Sir Alex, glanced over it, and saw names like Juan Mata, Modric, Sneijder, Ozil, Khedira, among other famous players.
It also featured young players like M'Vila, Isco, De Bruyne, and Lin. Except for Lin, almost all the other players were midfielders.
It was evident that Ferguson wanted to reinforce Manchester United's midfield. Shinji Kagawa was dealing with injuries, Darren Fletcher had health issues, and Paul Scholes was getting older.
Their midfield lacked depth, so reinforcements were indeed necessary.
When Joel saw Lin's name, his eyes lit up. Pointing to the name, he said to Ferguson, "I've followed this guy's games. His playing position in the Spanish team is exactly like Messi's at Barca, and their styles are very similar. Many people believe he could grow into the next Messi. Sir Alex, what do you think?"
Ferguson smiled, "I have high hopes for this young man's future. With the skills he's showing now, I have no doubt he can become a football king in the future."
Avram and Joel were surprised; they didn't expect Ferguson's evaluation of Lin to be so high.
Since Maradona retired, there hasn't been a football king in many years. And, without a doubt, the front-running pair currently is Messi and Ronaldo.
Could Ferguson really think that Lin's future will be even brighter than Ronaldo and Messi's peaks?
The two brothers exchanged glances and sat up straight, getting serious. If Ferguson wasn't mistaken, a player like this shouldn't be passed up at any cost!
"Sir, how much do you think would be an appropriate price if we were to bring him in?"
Both of them felt that even if Lin can't become a football king in the future, being the next Messi would be great!
At this time, both Messi and Ronaldo were at their peaks, and in their respective teams, they were weapons-grade players.
La Liga, particularly because of these two exceptional players, attracted many fans, enabling La Liga to catch up with the Premier League in terms of league influence and commercial development.
If Manchester United could acquire such a player, it would be very advantageous for the team's future performance and the club's commercial and brand image development.
Seeing the eager look in the brothers' eyes, Ferguson chuckled and said, "It's difficult to say. A player of this caliber, Barcelona may not be willing to sell!"
"The media says Lin and Messi have overlapping positions on the field. Is there no room for him in Barcelona?" Joel, who knew more about the latest football news, asked at this moment.
Ferguson shook his head, "Lin and Messi are versatile players who can play multiple positions. He played as a winger at Werder Bremen, and even though Barcelona recalled him, he can still be utilized as a winger. When they're on the field together, their teamwork will make it even harder for opponents to defend!"
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