I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 285: Raising the price! Go to Real Madrid to buy Ronaldo! Did Barcelona make a profit or a loss? [Subscribe]

President's office at Camp Nou, Barcelona.

Snapped!
Roselle angrily threw the documents in his hand onto the desk and looked at the vice presidents and department directors in front of him.

"Didn't you say before that you had done a thorough public opinion investigation?"

"Didn't they say that there are already various response measures and plans?"

"Haven't you communicated with the sponsors?"

"What's going on now?"

Russell put his left hand on his waist and pointed at the document in front of him with his right hand.

In front of him, Barcelona's top executives were all silent.

Things were developing beyond their control.

And in just two or three days, public opinion quickly fermented.

Barcelona has cooperation with Diario de Sport, Mundo Deportivo and major media in Catalonia.

But now, judging from the feedback from major newspapers, public opinion cannot be suppressed.

"Can anyone tell me why so many people suddenly stand up and speak for Messi?"

No one present could answer Russell's words.

Because they don't know either.

Or rather, no one had guessed such an outcome beforehand.

"The silent majority," sighed Javier Foss, vice president in charge of finance.

Just about a month ago, Javier Fos publicly stated in an interview with media reporters that Barcelona had no reason to raise Messi's salary.

The background is that Real Madrid is preparing to renew the contract with Ronaldo, at which time Ronaldo's annual salary will exceed Messi's.

Moreover, at that time, feedback from major media outlets all agreed that Messi was using Manchester City's invitation to threaten Barcelona, ​​trying to sign a better and more substantial contract.

There is actually nothing wrong with Javier Foss coming out to express his opinion.

Isn't this what normal negotiations should be like?

But now?

Messi is really gone!

"We have so many members and fans, and any market research or public opinion research has its limitations. In this case, it can only be that there is something wrong with the public opinion research conducted by our public relations department."

Javier Fosse's comments made sense, and the PR department was unable to refute them.

"What about the contingency plan? How do we deal with such a serious situation now? How do we appease the fans?" Rosell was anxious.

Membership clubs have their own set of gameplay and rules, but they also have their own limitations.

The chairman holds absolute power and the club is not private property, so in many cases, it is easy for all kinds of corruption or rent-seeking problems to arise, which exist in all membership clubs.

The difference is a matter of size and quantity.

And the constraint is the opposition in the boardroom.

Because of the election!

"In fact, it is easy to appease the fans. We just need to sign a superstar who can be comparable to Messi as soon as possible, and we can appease the fans to a certain extent."

Vice President Bartomeu suggested, "If one is not enough, then buy two. We now have 2.5 million euros in cash!"

Yes, Messi has just paid a buyout clause of 2.5 million euros, a one-time full payment.

Barcelona now has incredibly abundant funds on hand.

Looking at the whole of Europe, I am afraid that apart from Manchester City, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and other wealthy clubs in the Middle East, there are no other clubs that can come up with so much money at one time.

As for how Manchester City can sign Messi while ensuring that they comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations, this is not something Barcelona should be concerned about.

When Rosell heard this, his expression eased a little. "But now, didn't Suarez just renew his contract with Liverpool? Who else can we buy? Go to Real Madrid to buy Ronaldo?"

is it possible?
Yesterday, Florentino just called Rosell and asked about Messi's transfer with concern.

Because this involves the marketing strategy between the two giants.

In the past few years, Real Madrid played the Ronaldo card, Barcelona played the Messi card, and the entire La Liga was working together to create a CP of the two superstars and make the national derby into the gold medal event of La Liga.

Now, Messi has gone to the Premier League.

How to play then?
"For now, Real Madrid will not sell Ronaldo under any circumstances," said Javier Fos.

The media has previously reported that Manchester United actually thought about buying back Ronaldo and was even willing to pay 1 million pounds, but was rejected by Real Madrid.

No one knows the exact details, but at the moment, 1 million pounds is not enough to buy Ronaldo.

The penalty for breach of contract between Real Madrid and Ronaldo is 10 billion euros.

Just for this reason, who can buy Ronaldo without Real Madrid's consent?
At this time, Rosell had to admit that Barcelona was indeed not as good as Real Madrid in handling many things.

Why didn’t you realize the danger at the time?
Ronaldo's penalty clause has reached 10 billion euros, while Messi's only has 2.5 million euros. Isn't this outrageous?
Oh, I thought at the time that no team would be stupid enough to pay 2.5 million euros for Messi?
But no one expected that this "fool" would appear.

So, how will Barcelona respond?

"What do the Chinese in Bayswater say?" Russell suddenly asked.

Lewandowski has always been the player Barcelona most wants to sign, even ahead of Suarez.

Previously, when the two major Barcelona mouthpieces, Daily Sports and Mundo Deportivo, conducted a fan survey, Lewandowski was the superstar that Barcelona fans most wanted to sign, and he ranked far ahead.

There's no way, the Polish center performed too well last season.

And he has been performing at a very high level for several seasons in a row.

More importantly, he was born on August 88, 8, so technically he is only 21 years old now.

"The Chinese in Bayswater don't negotiate with us at all. They have closed the transfer market," replied sporting director Zubizarreta.

"Then let's contact each other again and talk again!" Russell emphasized.

Subizaretta nodded quickly.

Bartomeu thought for a moment and said, "I'll go talk to him myself."

Russell thought about it and felt that this was the best approach.

"Also, on the board, Laporta and Casas are now using Neymar's transfer to make a fuss. We must suppress it as soon as possible."

Javier Fos is the party involved because he is in charge of finances, and Neymar's transfer involves the components of the transfer fee and the flow of funds.

The opposition mainly suspects whether there is something fishy about Neymar's transfer, or whether someone has enriched himself?

"I have answered this question repeatedly before, and the answer is always, it is a confidentiality agreement and I cannot reveal the specific terms and conditions."

After hearing this, Russell and the others all nodded.

The inside story of Neymar's transfer does not stand up to scrutiny. Once the specific terms are exposed, it will be an extremely painful blow to Rosell, and he may even be forced to resign.

"But they still won't give in. I think, should we talk to them?" Javier Foss suggested.

When necessary, compromise must be made.

This matter cannot continue to be like this.

By then, Messi's transfer and Neymar's transfer will be mixed together, and things will become even more confusing.

"I have nothing to discuss with Laporta and Casas. I don't believe they dare to overturn the table!" Rosell also got angry.

If it were someone else, Rosell might still go to talk, but Laporta... dream on!
That year, Rosell left Nike and participated in the Barcelona presidential election as Laporta's assistant. He pushed Laporta to the throne of Barcelona president and became vice chairman himself.

During his tenure as vice president of Barcelona, ​​Rosell brought in many superstars such as Ronaldinho and Deco, and made great contributions to Barcelona's Dream Team II, but what was the result?

What did he get?
Laporta forced him to resign and kicked him out of Barcelona.

So, he vowed to make a comeback.

After he was elected as the president of Barcelona, ​​the first thing he did was to settle the old accounts from the Laporta era. He pursued Laporta relentlessly and even almost sent Laporta to jail.

The two sides have a deep grudge against each other. It is impossible for Roselle to compromise with the opposition at this time!
After the high-level meeting, everyone left the chairman's office one after another.

But only vice-president Bartomeu and Javier Fos were retained.

They are Roselle's true loyal followers.

"Joseph."

Rosell first sighed, then looked deeply at Bartomeu.

"We are now being attacked from both sides, so we must appease the fans as soon as possible. As long as the fans are appeased, even if Neymar's affairs are revealed in the future, it will not be a big problem."

"Even if I have to, in the end, I will just resign and you won't be affected."

This is a case of sacrificing the general to save the chariot!
Barcelona is a membership-based club and the president bears the responsibility, which is normal.

Rosell's meaning is very clear. He is telling Bartomeu that if it really comes to that, he will step down voluntarily, and then Bartomeu, as the first vice president, can naturally take over the position of Barcelona president.

By then, the interests and power of their small group will continue to be maintained.

"I understand." Bartomeu nodded.

"We must sign Lewandowski at all costs and convince the Chinese in Bayswater at all costs!" Rosell said fiercely.

Bartomeu and Javier Fos looked at each other and both clearly felt Rosell's determination.

Things have indeed reached a very dangerous situation.

After Messi paid his buyout fee and left, both the fans outside and those in the locker room had deep resentment towards the management.

Roselle must appease all parties as soon as possible.

As for, at any cost...

Barcelona is a membership-based club, and the price Barcelona pays is not the price they have to pay...

……

Manchester City really signed Messi!
When Yang Cheng heard the news, he became a little Spartan.

His first reaction was that this world is fucking crazy!
He believes that at this moment, all fans and media reporters around the world have basically the same reaction.

He has experienced the process of Paris Saint-Germain signing Neymar and is somewhat immune to it, but if this is the case, what about others?
"The league is not going to be easy!"

This was Yang Cheng's first reaction after he calmed down and regained the ability to think.

Guardiola's passing and controlling tactics are very suitable for the league. If there is no Messi, the problem is not so serious.

But now, if he has a Messi, how can he play?
Yang Cheng is actually not worried about whether Messi can adapt to the Premier League.

The first is Guardiola's passing and controlling system, and the other is that the current Premier League is actually not that rough.

"Guardiola may still want to continue playing 433. The forward line composed of Aguero and Messi is still very lethal." Brian Kidd also felt that this matter was a headache.

The two have been playing together in the Argentina youth team and have a very good relationship, so cooperation is not a problem.

"I think the question now is, how will Manchester City's midfield be arranged?"

After listening to Brian Kidd's words, the core coaching team members of Bayswater Chinese fell into deep thought.

Guardiola has rested for a year and is fully recharged, and now no one knows how he will play.

In Yang Cheng's previous life, Guardiola was never a static person.

From Barcelona to Bayern, from Bayern to Manchester City, he has always been actively seeking change, and has always adjusted his tactical ideas and playing style according to the league and team.

Now, he came directly from Barcelona to Manchester City, and the key is that he was given Messi. How will he play?
"If it were me, the frontcourt would be a combination of David Silva, Aguero and Messi, and the midfield would be Verratti, Pirlo and Yaya Toure." Yang Cheng expressed his thoughts.

"Thiago and Fernandinho are important substitutes."

After listening to this, everyone began to study whether this midfield and frontcourt lineup was reasonable, as well as various playing styles.

It is not unreasonable for Yang Cheng to make such a guess.

In his previous life, Yaya Toure did not meet Guardiola's requirements. One important reason was that Yaya Toure was a defensive midfielder, that is, the No. 4 position.

In Guardiola's passing and controlling system, this position is the most important issue.

But Yaya Toure is not a midfielder who can provide stability.

To some extent, the ones who really threatened Yaya Toure's position at that time were not Busquets, but Iniesta and Xavi in ​​front of him.

It is precisely because of the presence of Iniesta and Xavi that Yaya Toure's dribbling and his best distribution in front of the penalty area are completely useless to Barcelona, ​​because Iniesta and Xavi can also provide such a role.

Therefore, Busquets is more suitable than Yaya Toure.

But in Manchester City, there is no Iniesta and no Xavi.

Moreover, Yaya Toure's physical confrontation can inject power and intensity into the midfield.

This is actually reflected in Barcelona, ​​for example, Guardiola later signed Seydou Keita.

Yang Cheng is now unable to be sure whether the cooperation between Yaya Toure and Guardiola will end in a bad way like in the previous life.

But such a midfield and frontcourt combination is very strong.

Pirlo's organization and passing skills are excellent. As an Italian player, Pirlo's tactical awareness and quality are impeccable. He should have no problem playing at the No. 4 position.

At best, the defense will be relatively weak.

But his long passes and organizational coordination will definitely become a killer weapon.

Pirlo's biggest problem is his age.

Born in 79, now 34 years old.

But Xabi Alonso, born in 81, was bought by Guardiola to Bayern at the age of 33 and became a main player. It can be seen that Pirlo's problem is actually not a big deal.

As for the frontcourt, Jovetic will also be a very competitive player, but Yang Cheng believes that David Silva should occupy a position.

David Silva, Messi, Verratti and Pirlo, such a midfield and frontcourt combination will be very controlling.

In Yang Cheng's previous life, Guardiola admired Verratti very much.

Well, there is another player he admires very much, and that is Hazard.

But now that he has Messi, he shouldn't try to poach Hazard, right?
"What I am most worried about now is the chain reaction caused by this transfer." Yang Cheng said with a frown.

Brian Kidd and others looked at each other in surprise.

"Do you think Barcelona will take action?"

"Of course. If Barcelona is willing to spend 2.5 million euros in cash, it can be used as 5 million euros. There is no problem at all." Yang Cheng felt that Barcelona would definitely take action.

This is a necessity.

For example, the year 2013 in Yang Cheng’s previous life.

After Real Madrid signed Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for a sky-high price, Tottenham Hotspur immediately spent all the money and immediately became the most active club in the Premier League transfer market that summer.

And after Paris Saint-Germain poached Neymar, didn’t Barcelona also start recruiting players in retaliation?
Ultimately, this is an inevitable phenomenon.

Yang Cheng also has another concern, and that is Lewandowski.

Barcelona has been keeping an eye on Lewandowski for several years and has approached him to inquire about the price before, but was always turned down.

Suarez has now renewed his contract with Liverpool, so the possibility of Barcelona poaching him no longer exists.

In this case, Lewandowski has become the best choice Barcelona can make at the moment.

Or go to Real Madrid to sign Ronaldo.

"I watched the news. There's been a lot of trouble in Spain these days."

Brian Kidd said this with a wry smile.

"Before, when Messi hadn't transferred, the fans and the media were scolding him, as if they couldn't wait for him to leave. But now that Messi has really left, they are turning around and scolding the Barcelona management..."

This world is so absurd sometimes.

Perhaps, before Messi really left, they all felt that they had Messi in their hands and that Messi would not leave.

Are there few cases like this?

Just like Neymar later.

And then there was Bayern Munich and Toni Kroos in 2014.

After all, this world is full of a bunch of makeshift troupes that have gone too far!
……

On the third day after Messi transferred to Manchester City, Barcelona vice president Bartomeu personally led the team to London.

Media all over the world are also paying close attention.

Because the purpose of Bartomeu's trip is to sign Lewandowski.

But the Chinese in Bayswater had a very tough attitude and refused to even talk to Barcelona.

According to inside information exclusively disclosed by the Times, Adam Crozier, CEO of Bayswater Chinese, simply had a meal with Bartomeu and conveyed the club's intentions.

After that, the Chinese in Bayswater closed their doors!
Time enters June.

As summer training camp approached, the Bayswater Chinese did something big.

That was the first launch of Gareth Bale's personal brand.

Fans familiar with Gareth Bale know that after every goal, the Welsh star will make a heart-shaped gesture, which is also regarded as Gareth Bale's signature move.

Now, Bayswater Chinese have joined hands with Gareth Bale's team to officially register it as an exclusive trademark.

The brand is [Eleven Of Hearts].

The logo is a heart-shaped hand gesture with the number 11 inside.

The first press conference of Bayswater Chinese in July was for this trademark.

At the press conference, Omar Belada, Business Director of Bayswater Chinese, introduced the origin of the trademark.

"This is the first step in the globalization of Gareth Bale's personal brand!"

In the world of football, there are many superstars who have their own personal trademarks, the most famous of which are Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

They are all the most influential superstars in the world and have amazing commercial value.

Now, Bayswater Chinese's business team also wants to create a personal brand for Gareth Bale.

Omar Berrada revealed that Beckham's annual commercial income is about 2600 million pounds, Ronaldo's commercial income is 1300 million pounds, and what about Gareth Bale?
"In the past 12/13 season, Gareth Bale's endorsement income reached 1000 million pounds!"

Omar Berrada's words caused an uproar among everyone present.

They knew that in the past few years, the Chinese in Bayswater have been stepping up their efforts to publicize and promote stars such as Gareth Bale and Walcott, but they really didn't expect that Gareth Bale's commercial income would be so high.

Almost catching up with Cristiano Ronaldo!

For many media reporters outside the UK, what is even more surprising is that British football stars are so popular and have such a big advantage in global promotion.

Actually, it’s not surprising if you think about it.

Omar Berrada said that Gareth Bale's personal brand is an attempt by the Chinese in Bayswater.

An independent court has recognised the exclusive logo and the club has registered its trademark worldwide.

"In the coming period, we will cooperate with global sponsors and partners."

"This personal trademark belonging to Gareth Bale will be used on a variety of products such as clothes, shoes, hats, scarves, etc. We initially estimate that it will bring in more than 500 million pounds in revenue each year!" There was another uproar at the scene.

Once it is really fulfilled, Gareth Bale's commercial value will exceed that of Ronaldo.

Not to mention Messi.

Of course, this is actually inevitable.

Bayswater Chinese's current commercial revenue has surpassed that of Real Madrid, and launching personal brands for their star players is undoubtedly an important step in the team's commercial growth.

Because the club owns 50% of the image rights of Gareth Bale and other players.

In this case, building a star player's personal brand is undoubtedly also generating revenue for the club.

Gareth Bale ended his vacation early and returned to London to attend the press conference, and brought his childhood sweetheart Emma Rhys-Jones with him.

Gareth Bale said that this was a move he had been looking forward to for a long time, because he also wanted to be liked by more fans like Beckham and Ronaldo.

At the same time, he also expressed his gratitude to the Bayswater Chinese and head coach Yang Cheng.

“When I was a young boy, I came to Bayswater Chinese, which was the greatest decision I have ever made in my life!”

"I started playing professional football here and became well-known by countless people. All Bayswater Chinese fans are like my family. I love them and they love me too!"

“This is a joyful thing!”

In the subsequent personal question session, some media asked about Messi's transfer to Manchester City.

Gareth Bale did not comment on this, but he believes that something like this will not happen to him.

"Because there is no termination clause in my contract with the club!"

After making a joke, Gareth Bale solemnly promised, "As long as the club needs me, I will never leave!"

This statement also earned him warm applause from the audience.

As a British star, Gareth Bale even surpassed Rooney last season to become the most globally influential superstar in the UK.

And he is also one of the top stars that Bayswater Chinese people strongly promote!

Although Lewandowski surpasses Gareth Bale in terms of goals and performance on the field, the latter's commercial value is obviously higher.

This can be regarded as a natural advantage that British players are endowed with.

……

This summer, there have been major changes in the training and preparations for the Chinese in Bayswater.

The first is the expansion of the International Champions Cup.

It has expanded from the original 12 teams to the current 16 teams.

There are 4 groups in total.

The North American and Asian regions each have two groups.

After the four groups are determined, the North American finals and the Asian finals will be played.

After two finals, the winning teams will play another final.

The venue was arranged to be the Prudential Stadium in London.

This undoubtedly makes the schedule tighter.

In addition, the Chinese in Bayswater will start to take on more tasks in promoting the Premier League.

In the past few years, the Premier League has always had a tradition of pre-season overseas matches, but many top teams, including Bayswater Chinese, have communicated with the Premier League and did not participate in these events.

But now, although we don’t have to participate in overseas competitions, we still have to participate in more overseas promotions.

For example, this year the Bayswater Chinese are responsible for the Asia region.

Teams such as Tottenham Hotspur will also travel to Asia to participate in the Premier League Asia Cup during the International Champions Cup.

This is actually also a kind of overseas competition, but it is held in Hong Kong, China.

A total of 3 Premier League teams appeared.

There is also the Premier League America's Cup, which mainly takes place in Mexico and South America.

As the auction price of the Premier League broadcasting rights continues to rise, the enthusiasm of all Premier League teams to develop overseas markets has been fully aroused.

With the strong cooperation of the clubs, the Premier League is obviously more adept at organizing and preparing various warm-up matches.

Broadcasters from all over the world are also very happy for Premier League teams to go there to play, which will be of great benefit to them in promoting the new season of the Premier League.

Just when all the clubs were gearing up and preparing to start training for the new season, the Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo broke a bombshell.

Although Bartomeu was rejected when he went to London to negotiate, Barcelona still decided to make a formal offer.

They are willing to pay 1 million pounds, or 1.25 million euros, for Lewandowski.

But just a few hours later, The Sun revealed that the Chinese in Bayswater had rejected the offer from Barcelona.

In just two days, Barcelona raised its offer again.

Mundo Deportivo revealed that Barcelona has increased its offer to 1.2 million pounds, or 1.5 million euros.

The Catalan media also revealed that Barcelona fans generally welcomed Lewandowski's joining.

They believe that after Messi leaves, Lewandowski's joining can fill Messi's vacancy to the greatest extent.

"The two players are not of the same type, but with Neymar already in Barcelona, ​​bringing in Lewandowski will fill Barcelona's goal deficit to the greatest extent."

"He is the world's closest super scorer to Messi and Ronaldo, and he is only 24 years old, still very young!"

"Last season, Lewandowski scored 42 goals in the Premier League."

"With his goal scoring efficiency, if he were in La Liga, he would be able to score at least 50 goals!"

This caused public opinion in Spain to shift again.

The media and fans who had been madly accusing Rosell are now starting to hype up Lewandowski's joining.

There are even many media that believe that after Lewandowski joins, Barcelona will become stronger than before.

But faced with a transfer offer of 1.5 million euros, the Chinese in Bayswater refused again!

This made the whole world feel the determination of the Chinese in Bayswater to retain the players.

After receiving the notice from the club, Lewandowski did not respond.

But his agent, Polish MP Kucharski, expressed his gratitude for the invitation from Barcelona in an interview with the media, believing that this was a recognition of Lewandowski.

"The offer of 1.5 million euros proves Robert's value!"

"I believe he deserves such a transfer fee!"

But regarding the players' attitude, Kucharski said that Lewandowski has not considered this matter specifically.

"He has just finished his vacation and is preparing to return to London to participate in the club's summer training camp. I believe he will discuss this issue with the head coach and the club."

"We all know that he is a very sentimental person. The Bayswater Chinese trained him, so no matter what decision he makes, he will maintain good communication with the club."

As for joining Barcelona, ​​Kucharski said that this is a temptation that all players will find difficult to refuse.

"We all know that in the past few years, the World Footballer of the Year and the Ballon d'Or have all come from La Liga, and most of them are from Barcelona. This is a temptation that any player can hardly refuse!"

This statement from the agent also made the media and fans around the world feel the change in things.

That's right, after going to Barcelona, ​​not only can he get a higher salary, but it will also be beneficial for him to compete for the Ballon d'Or and the World Footballer of the Year.

Who can resist such temptation?
Some media even revealed that with Lewandowski's outstanding performance last season and the championships and honors he has won, if he was in La Liga and at Barcelona, ​​he would have basically locked up the World Footballer of the Year title in advance.

Catalan media also revealed that Barcelona has received signals from Lewandowski's agent.

"If Lewandowski joins Barcelona, ​​Barcelona will do everything to support Lewandowski in his bid for the FIFA Ballon d'Or."

"The Polish center has felt extremely regretful for missing out on this honor in the past two years!"

But no matter how strong the public opinion was, the Chinese in Bayswater once again rejected the offer from Barcelona.

Bayswater Chinese's spokesperson said in an interview with media reporters, "Lewandowski is one of the most important players in the club and we have no intention of selling him."

Regarding the statement made by agent Kucharski, the spokesperson said that it is difficult to say the specific situation at this time.

"We will communicate with the players after they return to London from their vacation."

It is in this context that Mundo Deportivo revealed that Barcelona has once again raised its offer.

This time, Barcelona's offer is 1.4 million pounds, or 1.75 million euros.

This is already a pretty crazy offer!
As the Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo said, this transfer fee is enough to buy two of the world's top superstars.

The highest offer made for Suarez before was only 7000 million pounds.

Although Liverpool is unwilling to sell, no team will bid higher than 7 million pounds.

Now, Barcelona's offer for Lewandowski is 1.4 million pounds, which is high enough!
But several British media reported that Barcelona is now in a panic.

After Messi left, there is a gap of up to sixty goals every season. Looking at the current world football, apart from Ronaldo, only Lewandowski has such ability.

Suarez?

How many goals has he scored in the league?

More importantly, Lewandowski has maintained a high level of productivity for four or five consecutive seasons, which can be regarded as proving his strength.

He is also younger than Suarez.

"The Chinese in Bayswater now hold the initiative, while Barcelona has £2 million in cash!"

It was in this background and atmosphere that Yang Cheng met Lewandowski who returned to the team early in London.

The two talked behind closed doors for more than an hour in the head coach's office at the Brent Training Center.

But both sides refused to reveal any content of the conversation to the media reporters waiting outside.

The only thing that is certain is that the day after Yang Cheng met with Lewandowski, Barcelona president Rosell personally brought two vice-presidents Bartomeu and Javier Fos to London.

……

JW Marriott Hotel, Hyde Park East Gate, London.

In the conference room of the five-star hotel where Bayern stayed during the Champions League final, Bayswater Chinese CEO Adam Croser met with the Barcelona president and two vice-presidents who came from afar.

As soon as they met, Adam Crozier made an offer straight away.

£1.6 million!
That’s 2 million euros!
"Are you crazy? This is impossible!"

Russell slammed the table on the spot.

But everyone could sense the lack of confidence revealed in his roar.

Is it really impossible?

If so, why does Barcelona increase its offer again and again?
It has already reached 1.75 million euros, and this is just the last bit left?

"Adam, this is a number that would be impossible to appear under normal circumstances!" Javier Foss, who was calmer and more rational, said to Adam Crozier.

But Omar Berrada on the side also laughed and replied, "This is not a normal situation!"

Everyone in Barcelona was speechless.

Who said no?
Under normal circumstances, who would spend 1.75 million euros to buy a player?
Or in other words, who would spend £2 million on a player?
The situation now is more like, everyone is normal except Barcelona.

why?
Manchester City signed Messi because they felt he was worth the price.

Or we should look at it from another perspective. Apart from Manchester City, is there any other team willing to pay Messi a buyout clause of 2.5 million euros?

If you really want to study it, it should be true.

For example, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, or even Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal.

They all have the financial resources to do so.

But the problem now is that Barcelona is irrational.

When Messi was poached, everyone saw that Barcelona now had 2 million pounds in cash and was in urgent need of finding a player to fill Messi's vacancy.

Who can?
Suarez?

Putting aside other things, his situation is far inferior to Lewandowski, and he is older than Lewandowski.

What's more, he has already renewed his contract with Liverpool.

In this case, there is only one Lewandowski left.

Looking at the entire European football scene, who can Barcelona buy with this money?

The only players who can rival Lewandowski in terms of quality are Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid or Gareth Bale of Bayswater Chinese.

But it is obvious that neither of these two superstars can be sold!
Then, Lewandowski is Barcelona's only choice!

In this case, given the price called out by the Chinese in Bayswater, Barcelona only has two options.

Either accept it or don't buy it!
When Barcelona has so much cash in hand, the transfer fee for any player they want to sign will definitely be inflated.

So, sanity?

nonexistent!

"Adam, the relationship between our two clubs has always been very good. To be honest, 1.4 million pounds is the limit of what we can offer. You should think about it carefully!" Javier Foss was also helpless.

He knew that in this situation, Barcelona had no bargaining chips at all.

Especially now, players are unwilling to step up and cooperate.

Previously, they had communicated with Lewandowski's agent, hoping to prevent Lewandowski from returning to London.

As long as the players do not report back, Barcelona will have some more bargaining chips.

But it is clear that Lewandowski eventually returned to London.

The agent said that Yang Cheng was prepared and personally called Lewandowski to "force" Lewandowski to come back to London for talks.

The Polish center couldn't refuse Yang Cheng, so he came back.

This also means that Barcelona has completely lost all bargaining chips.

Except money.

"Well, let's go back and think about it. You guys too."

Adam Crozier was not in a hurry at all and agreed with a smile.

In this way, the first formal negotiation between the two sides ended in less than 20 minutes.

……

Adam Crozier and others walked out of the Marriott Hotel openly.

This allowed the media reporters who heard the news and were blocking the outside to take pictures, and they all chased after them to inquire about the progress of the negotiations between the two sides.

Adam Crozier said with a smile, "We are very happy that Lewandowski will continue to stay at Bayswater Chinese!"

But Adam Crozier didn't say a word about the specific content of the negotiations.

However, media reporters are all shrewd people.

It's been less than half an hour since we entered the door, and including the meeting and greetings, we have only talked for about ten minutes at most. What results can we get out of it?
I guess they just parted on bad terms!
As a result, the media went completely wild.

Especially when the news got back to Spain, fans in Catalonia were even more dissatisfied.

Hopes again and again, disappointments again and again.

News from the British media revealed that Lewandowski has made a decision after negotiations with Yang Cheng.

"The player is willing to join Barcelona, ​​but he hopes that Barcelona can reach an agreement with the Bayswater Chinese, rather than the player taking the initiative to apply to leave the team."

"Because the latter will anger the Bayswater Chinese and fans!"

The Sun revealed that one of the important reasons why Lewandowski wanted to join Barcelona was that he felt he had a better chance of winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or at Barcelona.

"But parting ways peacefully with the club is his greatest hope."

Spain's Marca newspaper revealed that the original plan of Barcelona's top management was to arrange for Lewandowski to visit Barcelona after his vacation to express his yearning for Barcelona and to appease Barcelona fans.

"But this move was seen through by the Chinese in Bayswater, and Yang Cheng personally called Lewandowski and asked him to return to the team early and hold talks."

Marca believes that after Messi left the team with a buyout clause, public opinion changed very quickly.

"The fans' complaints against the club's top management are increasing, coupled with the problems exposed by Neymar's transfer."

"Everything has made Barcelona's top management know that they must act quickly and complete a sensational signing in the transfer market in order to effectively appease the fans."

"The Bayswater Chinese know this, so they are raising the prices!"

What made everyone in Barcelona even more depressed was that with the joining of Messi, Manchester City held a grand debut ceremony for the Argentine superstar and launched a new Messi No. 10 jersey on the spot.

As a result, in just one day, 1 jerseys were sold in multiple stores in Manchester, becoming an unprecedented hit.

You know, Messi's fan edition jersey costs more than other players' jerseys, reaching 70 pounds.

If it is a player version of the jersey, the price is as high as 100 pounds.

In other words, in just one day, Manchester City earned 700 million pounds from Messi's jerseys.

This is outrageous!
Arsenal head coach Wenger mentioned when commenting on the transfer deal that it was a very good deal.

"We will not make a trade like that, it does not fit the current situation of our team."

"But I want to say that signing Messi with such a transfer fee is really cheap!"

Wenger also revealed that in the next few years, the value of players in the European transfer market will continue to rise, and even sky-high prices will continue to appear.

On the third day after Messi's debut, that is, the day before the opening of the Chinese summer training camp in Bayswater, Yang Cheng gave the deadline for the negotiations, and Barcelona vice president Bartomeu, who stayed in London, called Adam Croze again.

Barcelona officially accepts the asking price of the Chinese in Bayswater!

1.6 million pounds, 2 million euros!
Lewandowski to Barcelona!

The two parties quickly signed the agreement and started transfer negotiations.

As for the details of the negotiations, the Chinese at Bayswater rejected Barcelona's proposal to add additional clauses, such as how much extra money could be added to the transfer fee based on winning the Ballon d'Or or how many goals a player scored to get an additional transfer fee.

The requirement given by the Chinese in Bayswater was simple: the 2 million euros must be paid in one lump sum.

The two sides discussed the matter for several hours, with some heated arguments, but the attitude of the Chinese in Bayswater was very tough.

There is nothing Barcelona can do about it.

In the end, we can only compromise.

That evening, the two sides announced that they had formally reached an agreement.

Lewandowski joins Barcelona for a transfer fee of 2 million euros!

As for the specific payment terms, they were later revealed by the media.

This also made everyone sigh.

Messi was sold for 2.5 million euros, and Lewandowski was signed for 2 million euros.

After all the ups and downs, did Barcelona make a profit or a loss?

(End of this chapter)