Chương 10: Chapter 10: Contract Issues

Back at home, Lin Quan happened to see Guardiola playing soccer in the yard.

Guardiola, after retiring as a professional player, became a coach. Occasionally, he would play soccer to relax.

So, behind their house, there was a large lawn with a goalpost, which served as their father-son soccer field.

"Why are you back so early today?" Guardiola was a bit surprised to see Lin Quan returning at this hour.

Having coached Barcelona's youth team, Guardiola was well aware of their training schedule. And if he remembered correctly, there was an important match for the youth team in a few days, so they should be intensifying their training.

And knowing Lin Quan, he didn't seem like the type to skip classes without reason.

So, there must be something fishy going on.

"Just lost interest in class!" Lin Quan took off his jacket, ran onto the grass, and started practicing with Guardiola.

Guardiola controlled the ball while asking, "How did the club arrange things?"

Though he tried to maintain a calm tone, Lin Quan still sensed anger in his voice.

"They want to loan me out."

"Where to?"

"SV Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga!"

Guardiola fell silent for a moment. When Lin Quan had previously expressed his desire to leave Barcelona, Guardiola had already started using his connections to find suitable teams for him to train with.

But he didn't expect the club to act so quickly. He hadn't even finalized arrangements with a new team, and Barcelona was already eager to loan him out.

"The Bundesliga..."

Guardiola pondered. He hadn't played in the Bundesliga himself, but he had faced Bundesliga teams several times and had a certain understanding of the league.

Compared to other leagues, the Bundesliga was a good option.

They had many young players, not only talented youngsters from across Europe but also from other continents playing there. This was because, unlike other leagues, the Bundesliga had relatively relaxed restrictions on non-EU players.

They didn't limit the number of non-EU players on the roster, making the Bundesliga a springboard for players from outside the EU to land in the top five leagues.

For example, many young players from Japan and South Korea started their European careers in the Bundesliga.

In the past, there were also many Chinese players who landed in the Bundesliga. But with the decline of the national team and the rise of the Chinese Super League's financial bubble, the number of players capable of meeting the standards for playing abroad decreased significantly.

Even if occasionally there were a few players who met the standards for playing abroad, they were more inclined to stay in China and earn high salaries without having to travel far from home.

But for players from other non-EU countries, they didn't have such favorable conditions. So playing in the Bundesliga allowed them to accumulate experience in the top five leagues while improving their skills. When the time was right and they gained recognition, they could consider transferring to other leagues for better contracts.

Therefore, there were many young players in the Bundesliga, and the average age of players in the league was less than 25.

Thanks to the influx of young players, some Bundesliga teams were doing lucrative business.

They would buy promising young talents at low prices, cultivate them on domestic league and cup stages, and then sell them at high prices to powerhouse teams in leagues like the Premier League and La Liga after they gained fame.

Among them, Borussia Dortmund was quite famous for this practice.

Though Lin Quan wasn't going to Dortmund, all major clubs liked to buy players from the Bundesliga.

If he performed well at Werder Bremen, he would still catch the attention of scouts from the top five leagues.

And leaving Werder Bremen after proving himself wouldn't be difficult. Thinking of this, Guardiola asked, "How much time is left on your contract with the club?"

Currently, the problem wasn't just about the loan; there was also his contract with Barcelona.

Guardiola could tell that Lin Quan was very dissatisfied with the club's behavior of getting rid of him.

Although he didn't say a single bad word about the club, his distant attitude made it clear that he no longer felt any attachment to Barcelona.

As a result, even if he succeeds at Werder Bremen, he probably wouldn't want to return to Barcelona.

However, this matter isn't something he can decide on his own.

As long as he's still within the term of his contract, after the loan agreement ends, Barcelona can completely recall him.

"The contract still has one more year. Remember when you said you were planning to take some time off? I didn't renew my contract with the club!"

Lin Quan currently holds a youth training contract he signed with Barcelona at the age of 13, valid for four years with an annual salary of €22,000.

Originally, when he turned 15 last year, he could have signed a professional contract with Barcelona. But for players whose talent isn't particularly outstanding, Barcelona doesn't rush to offer them professional contracts. Instead, they observe them for a while longer until they meet their standards or can be sold for profit before offering them professional contracts.

According to the plan, if Lin Quan didn't leave this year, Barcelona would likely renew his contract. Otherwise, if they waited until next year, he might become a free agent and be poached by other teams.

But now, with Guardiola resigning, Barcelona has made it clear that they don't want to renew with him, and Lin Quan himself has no intention of renewing.

So, he only has one year left on his contract.

"What's the buyout clause in the contract?"

Guardiola also knows that this contract is the crux of the problem. If the buyout clause in the contract isn't too high, he could buy out the contract himself. That way, he wouldn't be restricted by Barcelona.

"Same as Messi's, €5 million!"

Lin Quan looked innocently at Guardiola, who slapped his bald head. Suddenly, he remembered that he had set the buyout clause for this contract.

"Hehe, I had high hopes for you back then, so I set the buyout clause the same as Messi's!"

Back when Messi was in the youth team, his buyout clause was also €5 million. Even then, Barcelona was afraid he would be poached. So, when he turned 16, they immediately offered him a nine-year professional contract and used Messi's boss for seven or eight years with an extremely low salary!

Barcelona sure knows how to freeload!