Super Marshal

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid.

The atmosphere in the chairman's office was a bit stiff, and Real Madrid Chairman Florentino's face did not look good.

Sitting next to him, special adviser Zidane, general managers Valdano and Butragueno also had stern faces.

They were discussing a very serious topic and were waiting for someone.

The topic is about Real Madrid's transfer operations this summer.

There is no doubt that the transfer signings last summer were quite unsuccessful. Although Adebayor was finally snatched, compared with Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká and Benzema, the Togolese forward was obviously insufficient, and His performance in the team was also unsatisfactory, and there were even calls for him to be sent away.

Last season, it was Argentine striker Higuain who took on the task of attacking the city for the team. He scored 27 goals in 32 league games and was the team's top scorer. This was his consecutive Scored more than 20 goals in two seasons.

But unfortunately, he belongs to the legacy of former president Calderon.

In a team like Real Madrid, this is undoubtedly quite embarrassing for Florentino.

More importantly, there have been constant doubts about his operational ability within the team, because he now has a budget of hundreds of millions of euros, but he has not even introduced a superstar, which is undoubtedly unqualified.

Real Madrid is a very special team. It does not need to consider profits. Every penny earned can be invested in the transfer market. As chairman, the only thing Florentino needs to do is to serve the fans well. .

Or, strictly speaking, membership fans.

However, the team's performance last season was not ideal. The failure in the transfer market caused Real Madrid to suffer a big blow in La Liga. Not only that, the two rival teams took advantage of the trend and shined.

Under the guidance of Guardiola, Barcelona has become increasingly stable. Not only did they win the La Liga championship, they also defeated Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final, achieving a double crown in La Liga. This made Barcelona's dream team once again dominate the Europa League.

As for the city rival Atletico Madrid, they were not to be outdone. After the old coach Heynckes returned to Germany, Simeone took over the coaching position of Atletico Madrid. In the first season, he brought this La Liga team to the Champions League final, but soon Unfortunately, the Sheets Army failed in La Liga and the Champions League, and ultimately missed the championship.

But in the Copa del Rey, Atletico Madrid defeated Real Madrid and finally won the cup.

What excites everyone at Atletico Madrid even more is that after the team moved into the new stadium, its income increased sharply. General Manager Hill Jr. even announced that he would fully start renewing his contract this summer. Torres and Bi, who have played for the team for many years, will Core tiger players such as Lea, Seydou Keita, Gabi, Ramos and Navas are all included in the contract renewal plan.

The two mortal enemies are full of talents and have outstanding achievements, but they make Real Madrid very embarrassed.

In the first season after Mourinho took charge, there was no breakthrough in performance. The Champions League still stopped at the top 16 and ranked third in the league. It reached the final of the Copa del Rey, but failed to win the championship.

This is not a satisfactory report card by any means.

Including Florentino, all Real Madrid executives also feel the pressure, and they must come up with countermeasures as soon as possible.

Knock~knock~knock.

Hearing the knock on the door, everyone in the silent office straightened their chests.

"Come in," Florentino called.

The person who opened the door and walked in was none other than Real Madrid's head coach, Jose Mourinho.

As a well-known head coach in Europe, Mourinho has an extraordinary influence in world football. Even though he was idle for two years, he failed to produce satisfactory results after coaching Real Madrid. .

On the contrary, he appeared in Spanish newspapers more because of various off-field news.

"Mr. Chairman, everyone, good afternoon."

As soon as Mourinho entered the door, he greeted everyone present and sat down on an empty sofa.

Now that the protagonist is here, the meeting can officially begin.

"Jose, we came to you today mainly for summer transfer matters." General Manager Valdano said first.

Mourinho nodded. He had obviously guessed it. "I have submitted a transfer plan to the technical department before. I think our current lineup lacks competitiveness and needs to improve the forward, wing, midfield and defense lines." There are signings from all over the world.”

In other words, he is not satisfied with the entire Real Madrid lineup.

Valdano nodded, "I understand, and the management will definitely support it. Now we are dealing with Liverpool with all our strength, hoping to sign Gerrard, and Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas. These two Players will be our core recruitment targets this summer."

Introducing superstars is a strategy that Florentino has formulated since he took office.

There have been rumors that Gerrard and Cesc Fabregas will move to Real Madrid for a long time. Liverpool and Arsenal are not well-off. The two teams are now showing signs of lagging behind Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, so they are in urgent need of signings.

Therefore, it is natural to sell these two stars in exchange for a large transfer fee.

When he said this, Valdano sighed helplessly, "But you know, our current situation is very embarrassing."

Butragueno on the side took over and said: "Liverpool has repeatedly stated that Gerrard is not for sale. We have increased our offer for Gerrard time and time again, from the original 30 million euros to the current 50 million euros." , but they were still unmoved. The same situation happened with Cesc Fabregas. We offered 50 million euros, but Arsenal still refused to negotiate."

Real Madrid's situation is indeed embarrassing, everyone can see this.

On the one hand, they have a large transfer budget on hand, which is said to be as high as hundreds of millions of euros. On the other hand, they only need high-level stars, and this type of players is often extremely scarce in the transfer market. Players Once Real Madrid valued him, his value immediately skyrocketed. Some teams even gave Real Madrid two completely different offers than those they gave to other teams.

Neither Liverpool nor Arsenal are isolated cases. The same situation also applies to Wayne Rooney of Manchester United.

Florentino has made it clear that as long as Manchester United is willing to sell, Real Madrid is willing to pay 80 million euros or even higher to introduce Rooney. However, Ferguson's Manchester United has always gritted its teeth and refused to sell under any circumstances.

These days, superstars are luxury goods, and you can't get them without exorbitant prices.

"We also had contact with Wolfsburg, and the price they offered Dzeko was also very high."

"How much?" Mourinho asked with a frown.

"Sixty million euros."

"They are crazy!" Mourinho cursed angrily.

Dzeko is a 24-year-old high center forward with good footwork. Since joining Wolfsburg, he has gradually become the leading scorer in the Bundesliga. In the last two seasons, he has scored 26 goals and 2 goals respectively. Twelve goals, very efficient.

But Wolfsburg's previous offer to other teams was said to be only 40 million euros, and now the price has actually increased.

“In addition to Dzeko, we also have Belgian teenager Lukaku, Werder Bremen’s Almeida, Villarreal’s Nimar, and Chinatown’s Diego Kos on our signing list. tower."

Mourinho listened to Valdano's words silently. Lukaku was too young and Almeida was his compatriot, so he could consider it. Neither Nimaer nor Diego Costa...

Mourinho's eyes lit up when he heard the name, "Will Chinatown be sold?"

Valdano looked at Florentino and Zidane, shook his head, "I don't know, we need to get in touch."

"We played against Chinatown last season. This team is very capable. If Falcao and Ramirez hadn't transferred midway, this team would at least be in the top six, or even in the top six. Four, Diego Costa also fits my requirements."

"In addition, in addition to Diego Costa, I think Chinatown's wing player Aubameyang, midfielder Mkhitaryan, central defender Otamendi and goalkeeper De Gea are all candidates worthy of consideration."

Valdano's lips twitched when he heard this. Isn't this too cruel?

It’s like trying to dig up Chinatown.

At this time, Florentino finally couldn't sit still and coughed twice, "Well... Chinatown has an extraordinary relationship with us. We have had good cooperation over the past few years. Gao Han and I also have a very close personal relationship, so if you want to poach people without hurting feelings, I’m afraid you have to do the same as Chelsea.”

Pay the penalty!

Everyone's heart skipped a beat, not sure whether it should be funny or helpless.

There are not many teams that covet Chinatown players, but after selling Falcao and Ramirez, Chinatown received a large amount of transfer funds. In addition, after signing multiple sponsorship contracts, the Bank of Madrid provided With a loan of 150 million euros, the club's finances have been basically stabilized.

In this case, faced with external poaching, Chinatown has only one answer: not for sale.

This is undoubtedly the best way to make all teams that intend to poach players retreat before the difficulties.

Take Diego Costa, for example. He performed well last season, but his worth will not exceed 25 million euros. However, his liquidated damages are as high as 60 million euros. This is definitely a very expensive price. , even with the aura bonus of high cold, it is still prohibitive.

As for Otamendi, he was one of the most outstanding central defenders in La Liga last season and was selected for the Argentina national team to participate in the World Cup in South Africa. If he can shine in the World Cup and become famous in one fell swoop, it will be in line with Real Madrid's superstar strategy. , even if the price is higher, it will be understandable.

De Gea's performance is indeed quite eye-catching. He is known as the most talented goalkeeper in Spain after Casillas. He is only 19 years old, but he has already played a full La Liga season and a La Liga season. His performance is impressive. He is remarkable and has been selected for the Spanish national team, but his liquidated damages are even more outrageous, as high as 100 million.

Aubameyang is extremely fast and a fast horse on the wing. After Falcao left the team last season, he showed his ability in scoring, and Mkhitaryan can be called China's last season. City's best player, especially after Falcao left the team, he became the engine of the team's offense after he stabilized in the middle.

In the La Liga last season, although Chinatown only finished eighth, there is no doubt about its strength. Many players in the team also performed at an eye-catching level. Gao Han's vision for poaching and cultivating young players is even greater. It is beyond doubt.

But it is definitely not an easy task for any team, including Real Madrid, to poach Chinatown.

Especially the high cold.