Starting With Real Madrid

Thiago's transfer to Bayern Munich for a hefty fee of 25 million euros fired the opening shot of the European summer transfer market, instantly heating up what had been a quiet window.

Everyone was surprised by the transfer.

It was not that Thiago was unworthy of Bayern, but rather the price paid by the Bundesliga giants.

According to Catalan media, Thiago was determined to join Bayern and his current buyout clause was 18 million euros.

In theory, as long as Thiago paid that amount, he could buy out his contract with Barcelona and move to Bayern on a free transfer.

But Bayern did not do that. They paid an additional 7 million euros, bringing the total transfer fee to 25 million euros.

The reason was certainly not that Bayern had a sudden change of heart and decided to be charitable. Barcelona did not want to let him go through the buyout clause, and if Bayern allowed Thiago to forcibly activate it, they would have to pay a large amount of VAT. So the Bundesliga powerhouse reached a compromise with Barcelona at 25 million euros.

This transfer fee was actually quite cheap.

Real Madrid brought in Illarramendi, the local midfielder who became popular last season, from Real Sociedad. His buyout clause was 30 million euros, but Real Sociedad was unwilling to sell for that amount.

In other words, even if Real Madrid offered 30 million euros, Real Sociedad would not agree, forcing Real Madrid and the player to activate the clause. Including VAT, the total outlay was expected to be as high as 38.95 million euros.

That was truly a sky-high fee.

If Illarramendi was the core midfielder in Real Sociedad's fourth-place finish in La Liga last season and his performances stood out, then Thiago was not a regular starter at Barcelona. He started 15 games, came on as a substitute in 12, played 1,412 minutes, scored 2 goals and provided 4 assists. Such numbers were not particularly eye-catching.

But everyone agreed Bayern had done brilliant business.

Bayern chairman Rummenigge was grinning from ear to ear, claiming this was one of the two most cost-effective transfers of the summer.

The other was Bayern signing Götze from Dortmund for 37 million euros.

These three major transfers were all midfielders, all very young, and all very talented.

But they also triggered a butterfly effect.

After Götze joined Bayern, Dortmund announced that they had signed Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk for a massive 27.5 million euros.

The 24-year-old Armenian played 42 matches for Shakhtar last season, scoring 29 goals and providing 12 assists, an excellent return. More importantly, his agent was the heavyweight Italian, Raiola.

Dortmund sold Götze for 37 million euros and brought in Mkhitaryan for 27.5 million euros. These two moves could not be considered a profit, more like cutting losses.

At this moment, The Sun, a British outlet known for transfer scoops, reported that Real Madrid had officially bid for Leeds United's talented midfielder Paul Pogba.

Sixty million euros.

If the deal were completed, it would be the highest fee paid so far in this summer's transfer market.

When the news broke, Pogba was in Türkiye, leading the French youth national team to a strong run.

After entering the knockout stage, France first defeated the hosts Türkiye 4-1, then swept Uzbekistan 4-0 in the quarter-finals.

In the semi-finals, thanks to Pogba's assist and goal, France won 2-1.

The captain of the French youth team proved his worth in this high-level competition.

In the final, Pogba's stunning long-range strike pierced Uruguay's net, securing a 1-0 win and the World Youth Championship title.

Pogba also won the Golden Ball of the tournament for his outstanding performances.

All across Europe, reports focused on Leeds United's gifted young midfielder, especially in light of Real Madrid's eye-watering 60 million euro bid, which shocked the world.

But only a few knew that Real Madrid's actual offer was 50 million euros and that they were determined to close the deal, while Leeds United's asking price was 60 million euros.

Leaking it to The Sun was mainly to put pressure on Real Madrid.

Real Madrid remained patient and refused to yield, engaging Leeds United in a game of poker.

As long as Pogba did not outperform expectations at the World Youth Championship, Real Madrid could negotiate the price down, even to 50 million euros, because no other team had made a formal offer so far.

Fortunately for Leeds, Pogba played brilliantly, shining in the last two rounds of the tournament, and especially after winning the Golden Ball.

On the day France lifted the trophy, Real Madrid general manager José Sánchez phoned Fernando Lucas. Real Madrid officially compromised and agreed to sign Pogba for 60 million euros.

At that moment, Ancelotti, who was on holiday in Italy, also called Paris Saint-Germain's sporting director Leonardo.

…

"What did you say?"

Leonardo was in Brazil when he received Ancelotti's call.

As soon as the call connected, Ancelotti started complaining, especially about the slow progress of Paris's transfer dealings.

Finally, he mentioned that Real Madrid had signed Paul Pogba for a staggering 60 million euros.

"That's impossible, Carlo." Leonardo shook his head and laughed. "I already know about this. Real Madrid are only willing to offer at most 50 million euros, but Leeds United want 60 million. There's a 10 million euro gap."

"The reason The Sun ran that story was to pressure Real Madrid. The gap is still big. Real Madrid will not cave so easily. What you heard is a smokescreen. Don't take it seriously."

As he spoke, Leonardo tried to calm Ancelotti down.

The transfer market is full of twists and turns, truth and rumor, real and fake, which can be confusing.

In other words, people can easily be led by the nose.

At such times, an experienced and wise executive is particularly important.

"Don't worry, Carlo. I'm planning to meet David Luiz to discuss the possibility of a transfer. You know we need a top centre-back like him." Leonardo explained his trip to Brazil.

If David Luiz was willing to move, Paris could then talk to Manchester City.

Manchester City now had four excellent centre-backs, so selling David Luiz would make sense.

But Ancelotti was adamant.

"I must remind you, Leonardo, this is true. The two parties have reached an agreement. Real Madrid's general manager José Sánchez is probably in Leeds right now. He flew overnight to sign the contract."

"What?" Leonardo panicked. "Is this true?"

"It is absolutely true. Real Madrid have compromised and agreed to Leeds United's asking price. They are in a hurry because they are afraid we will react."

After hearing this, Leonardo also understood.

Wasn't that exactly it?

His original plan was to wait and observe until Real Madrid and Leeds United lowered their demands, then have Paris move at the right moment.

He had previously spoken to Fernando Lucas and expressed Paris's interest in Pogba.

But Real Madrid simply raised their offer.

They jumped directly from 50 million euros to 60 million euros, with no intention of letting Paris Saint-Germain into the race.

It was a bold move.

Clearly, Real Madrid understood that once Paris intervened, Pogba's price would exceed that figure.

As for Leeds United, they knew when to exit. They got the price they wanted without being greedy.

"Damn it." Leonardo cursed.

"I have to remind you again, after Bayern Munich completed the Thiago deal, they have started asking for Koulibaly's price. Napoli also want to sign Jorginho and Allan. Chelsea are very interested in Koulibaly and Kurzawa."

Leonardo began to realize how serious the situation was.

Miss one step, and you fall behind at every step.

"I understand. I'll head back immediately."

After hanging up with Ancelotti, Leonardo immediately booked a flight back to Europe. Instead of flying to Paris, he went directly to London, then connected to Leeds.

After booking his tickets, Leonardo called his assistant in Paris to get the latest information.

It was no secret that Monaco had signed Falcao, as the news broke before the end of the season.

The transfer fee was 60 million euros, another astronomical fee.

But Falcao's scoring efficiency in La Liga was very high.

"There are reports that Monaco have reached an agreement with Porto for Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez for 50 million euros."

"Who?"

"James Rodriguez."

When Leonardo heard the name, he was stunned. "How is that possible?"

Although the player was not unknown, he was not that sensational, was he?

Fifty million euros?

Was Monaco crazy?

"This upstart is really going to disrupt the market!" Leonardo could no longer sit still and paced back and forth.

"Alright, contact Fernando Lucas at Leeds United immediately and tell him I will arrive in Leeds tomorrow night and hope to meet him. Tell him not to agree to anything…"

"Forget it, I'll call him myself."

After Leonardo hung up, he tried to calm down and steady his tone.

Fernando Lucas was like a shrewd fox. Once he sensed anything, Paris's negotiations would become very passive and could even be badly exploited.

Thinking of this, Leonardo suddenly decided not to call Fernando Lucas. Instead, he called Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser.

At this moment, it was best to inform Nasser first, explain the situation, and find out whether the financial backers behind Paris were willing to pay.

If the boss did not care about the cost, Leonardo would charge ahead. There would be no need to haggle. The priority would be to get the player.

If the boss was unwilling to pay, then negotiating would be pointless.

Thinking of this, Leonardo let out a long breath, took another deep breath, and then called Nasser.

"Nasser, I have something to report. The situation has changed…"

(To be continued.)

***

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