Rebuilding the Theatre

On the way back to Le Havre, Woodward kept saying, "Tiger, I don't understand you more and more now. We were supposed to take a day off, but you bought a trial player, Naby Keita, a young man; and then you took a phone call and rushed back to Le Havre immediately. What the **** are you doing?"

Jin Taige was very happy at this time. He had picked up two treasures out of thin air: "Ed, let me tell you, this Naby Keita will be Manchester United's future midfielder. I didn't expect that he hadn't signed with any club yet. We're really lucky. Also, Sloka, the chairman of Le Havre Club, just called me and said there's a young player who's very talented and wants us to take a look."

"Tiger, I'm really convinced by you..." Woodward was helpless about Jin Taige's unusual behavior, but he was also very curious about what kind of player could make Jin Taige call him a "future transfer king."

When they arrived at Le Havre Club, Chairman Sloka was already waiting for them. Jin Taige asked directly, "How much? Name your price."

Sloka froze for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "My dear friend Tiger, I really like your character more and more. Here's the situation: I have a young player. The Marseille club wants to buy him for 4 million euros. But I thought of our relationship and decided to ask you first. If you can match the price, I'll sell him to you."

"Okay, 4 million euros, I'll take him!"

"Deal!"

When Sloka brought a young black French player in front of Jin Taige, the player looked a little nervous: "Hello, Mr. Tag."

Jin Taige reached out his hand kindly: "Benjamin Mendy, nice to meet you."

Jin Taige asked Woodward to translate as he talked to Mendy about his vision for the future. Mendy hesitated: "Mr. Tiger, the Marseille club has already spoken to me. They offered 3 million euros and promised me the starting left-back position next season."

3 million euros? Hearing this, Jin Taige shot Sloka a sideways glance and cursed inwardly: *You overcharged me by 1 million euros, you old fox.*

Sloka simply smiled and said nothing.

Mendy continued, "I really want to continue training in Ligue 1 for a couple of years, but I also really want to join Manchester United..."

When Woodward finished translating this, he looked at Jin Taige and thought: *It seems that if you can't promise him a starting position, he might not come to Manchester United.*

Jin Taige thought for a moment, then smiled: "That's easy to solve. I'll buy you now and loan you to Marseille in Ligue 1 for two years. What do you think?"

Mendy's face lit up with joy: "Thank you, Mr. Tiger! If that's the case, I'm willing to sign with Manchester United."

Just like that, Jin Taige secured Benjamin Mendy.

In the summer of 2017, Manchester City would spend 57 million euros to buy Benjamin Mendy from Monaco, making him the most expensive defender in the world at the time. Mendy was incredibly fast, with precise passing, explosive power, and excellent ball control. Despite his imposing physique, he was a perfect blend of strength and skill. Becoming the world's top defender, Mendy was indeed one of the best.

It was a pleasant surprise for Jin Taige to find Benjamin Mendy at Le Havre. At the same time, Sloka made an extra 1 million euros; Marseille didn't spend a penny and got Benjamin Mendy on a two-year loan. Everyone was happy.

Benjamin Mendy's transfer was completed for 4 million euros, leaving Jin Taige with 28.7 million euros in available transfer funds.

That night, sitting in his hotel room, Jin Taige took out a piece of paper listing several top striker candidates he was considering. The top two were Griezmann and Lukaku, followed by several other options.

"I still have 28.7 million euros in transfer funds, which should be enough to buy a good striker. This is the list I prepared," Jin Taige told Woodward.

But Woodward shook his head: "Tiger, are you sure you've calculated correctly?"

Jin Taige replied, "It's impossible. I definitely didn't miscalculate. I bought 13 young players for a total of 21.3 million euros. That leaves me with 28.7 million euros."

Woodward said patiently, "You've forgotten one person."

"Who?"

"Wilfried Zaha." Woodward held up a finger. "During the winter transfer window, the club spent 15 million euros to buy this 17-year-old from Crystal Palace. The contract was signed in advance, but the fee wasn't paid until this summer. The 15 million euros will also be deducted from your 50 million euro transfer budget."

"Oh, ****!" This was the first time Jin Taige had sworn in front of Woodward. "What's going on? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I thought you already knew," Woodward said calmly. "Mr. Tiger, don't get too worked up. I suggest you readjust your transfer targets and choose a player who's more suitable for the team's current budget."

Jin Taige slumped onto the sofa, closed his eyes, and thought irritably: *28.7 million minus 15 million leaves me with 13.7 million euros. With that little money, I can't even buy a decent backup striker, let alone a top-tier one.*

But complaining was useless. Jin Taige looked over his transfer list and had no choice but to skip Griezmann and Lukaku. He skipped four more names before finally landing on one: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Jin Taige asked Woodward to immediately negotiate a deal with Saint-Étienne for Aubameyang. Saint-Étienne's asking price was 15 million euros. Although Woodward promised Jin Taige that he could request additional funds from the board to cover the 15 million, Aubameyang ultimately rejected Manchester United due to concerns about playing time and instead joined Borussia Dortmund.

Jin Taige sighed. He knew Aubameyang was about to hit his peak, but unfortunately, he had missed out on the prolific striker.

Over the next few days, Jin Taige made bids for several other talented European forwards, but their asking prices were all around 30 million euros, far beyond his budget. Jin Taige could only lament silently.

*If I can't buy a suitable striker, I'll just have to make do for now. Van Persie and Rooney are still a solid pairing, and Chicharito isn't bad either. We'll manage.*

Next, Jin Taige and Woodward flew to Brazil to find the last name on their transfer list: a talented young goalkeeper.

Although Jin Taige had failed to secure a top striker, his trip to Brazil would prove successful and rewarding.

Jin Taige went directly to Internacional and met the club's president, Dálsson. Jin Taige hadn't expected Woodward's connections to extend beyond Europe, but he was clearly well-respected in Brazil as well. After greeting Woodward, Dálsson spent a long time discussing the development of the South American football market. Jin Taige only then realized that the Glazers had investment projects in South America.

Woodward introduced Jin Taige to Dálsson, who was accustomed to European club managers coming for his players. He tentatively asked Jin Taige what he was interested in.

Jin Taige gestured with his hands: "Your club's goalkeeper, Alisson. I want to buy him."

"Alisson?" Dálsson was surprised. This 21-year-old goalkeeper hadn't shown anything particularly special.

Dálsson thought for a moment: "Alisson has a release clause of 2 million euros. If you're willing to pay that..."

Jin Taige didn't hesitate: "2 million euros? I'll take him."

Seeing Jin Taige agree so quickly, Dálsson suddenly regretted setting the release clause so low. *Did I undervalue Alisson?*

But it was too late to change it now.

Jin Taige met Alisson and discussed his plans for the team, proposing to bring him in as a backup goalkeeper who would get playing time in cup matches.

Jin Taige had expected to spend some time convincing Alisson to join as De Gea's understudy, but to his surprise, Alisson agreed almost immediately.

Jin Taige was thrilled. He quickly signed the transfer contract with Alisson.

Alisson's transfer was completed for 2 million euros, leaving Jin Taige with 11.7 million euros in available funds.

Jin Taige looked at his transfer list and felt a pang of bitterness: *With just over 10 million euros left, I can't even think about buying a decent striker.*

Woodward arranged for club officials to escort Alisson to Manchester, and then he and Jin Taige left Brazil for neighboring Argentina. Jin Taige hadn't come to Argentina with a specific transfer target in mind, but rather because he had always admired the country's elegant yet wild football culture. Since they were already in South America, he decided to make a stop.

When they arrived, they found that the Argentine league wasn't in session. Jin Taige was a little disappointed. As they passed through Rosario Province, they stumbled upon an amateur futsal match. Jin Taige and Woodward sat in the stands and watched with interest.

Jin Taige remarked, "Argentina's football culture is truly amazing. You see people playing everywhere. Look at the field—there are teenagers and middle-aged men in their 40s and 50s, all enjoying the game."

Woodward agreed: "And they're willing to invest in facilities. Every province, city, and community has well-maintained grass pitches and indoor futsal courts. No wonder Argentine football is so strong."

Jin Taige fell silent as his attention was drawn to an amateur player on the field. The player was about 1.8 meters tall, with excellent footwork. He was clearly a cut above the rest, displaying sharp dribbling and a keen eye for goal. Jin Taige thought: *With his skills, he could easily play in a European league.*

As the match ended, Jin Taige and Woodward got up to leave. Just then, they overheard some players talking.

"Mauro, you were amazing today."

Another player chimed in: "Of course, he's a Serie A striker. Taking a break to play with you guys is a treat for you."

*A Serie A striker?* Jin Taige stopped in his tracks. *Who is this Mauro?*

At that moment, a young fan rushed over and asked the player for an autograph: "Icardi, can you sign this for me?"

"What? It's him!" Jin Taige turned around and saw the handsome young player signing for the fan. Jin Taige's heart raced. *So that's Mauro Icardi!*

"Tiger, what's going on? You've been talking to yourself," Woodward asked, puzzled.

Jin Taige looked at Woodward with excitement: "We've found our striker!"

An hour later, Jin Taige and Woodward were sitting in a café, across from Mauro Icardi.

"Mr. Tiger, are you really inviting me to join Manchester United?" Icardi asked in surprise.

Jin Taige nodded: "Mauro, if you come to Manchester United, you'll become one of the best strikers in the world."

"But Manchester United already has Van Persie and Wayne Rooney, both world-class forwards," Icardi hesitated. "Are you asking me to be their backup?"

Jin Taige sensed his reluctance and quickly explained: "Van Persie is getting older, and his form will decline. Rooney can't carry the attack alone. I need a young, dynamic striker like you to complement them. We'll have plenty of games across four competitions next season, so you'll get plenty of playing time."

Icardi remained silent.

Jin Taige pressed on: "Inter Milan wants to buy you, right?"

"How do you know?" Icardi was startled. "This is only in the early stages. There's no deal yet. How could an outsider know about it?"

"Because I'm Jin Taige," Jin Taige smiled mysteriously. "Mauro, think about it. Even if you go to Inter Milan, can you be sure of a starting spot? And their manager didn't come all the way here to personally recruit you like I did."

After some persuasion, Icardi agreed to join Manchester United. He told Jin Taige that Sampdoria's asking price was 13 million euros. As long as Manchester United met that figure, Sampdoria would let him go.

But Jin Taige only had 11.7 million euros left, still short by over a million. He turned to Woodward for help. Woodward made a quick decision to allocate an additional 2 million euros from the club's funds to support Jin Taige's pursuit of Icardi.

The next day, Manchester United formally submitted a bid to Sampdoria and successfully signed the Argentine striker Jin Taige had his eye on.

With that, Jin Taige's summer transfer plans were complete. He and Woodward flew back to Manchester, satisfied with their work.

But back in England, doubts about Jin Taige were already beginning to surface...