◎[32 hours, 25 minutes, and 19 seconds!]◎
Modrić was still in a bit of a daze when his wife threw him onto that private jet.
It was all happening far too quickly.
He was still processing the past hour. Fana had comforted the disappointed children, promising them they would return to the resort soon.
Only after his wife had finished all the arrangements and returned to his side did he look at the woman he loved with eyes full of admiration.
Why did he like her, even love her?
This was the reason.
Fana hadn’t even sat down yet when she noticed her husband’s strange gaze. She arched a brow. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want me to coax you like I did the children?”
Her husband shook his head vigorously, his blond hair swaying with the movement.
“I haven’t adjusted to all this yet, but you seem to have accepted it completely and can’t wait to get started.”
Fana immediately explained, “When an opportunity comes, we must seize it. You’ve given everything to Spurs, but with a team like them, even if you give your all, it’s hard to win anything. Aside from the lack of glory, it’s also difficult to secure reasonable compensation. You were on a weekly wage of forty-five thousand pounds for several years, and even now it’s only sixty-five thousand. At Manchester United, that’s the starting salary for the squad. You know I love you, so I’m not complaining; I just believe that number doesn’t match what you contribute. By choosing Manchester United, we aren’t just choosing a bigger club; we are choosing glory and money. We are choosing the best way to prove you and your football.”
Modrić, of course, knew all this.
Ever since he received his first signing bonus and moved his family out of that refugee hotel, football had meant more to him than just a game.
He craved glory, but he also craved a better life for his family.
“24 hours?” he asked, looking at his wife.
This wasn’t his first transfer experience. Every summer, he saw countless transfer sagas—some involving him, but most not. In his memory, no transfer was ever completed within 24 hours. If there were any, it was because both sides had long reached a tacit agreement.
“24 hours,” Fana reaffirmed. “We only have to endure this ordeal for 24 hours.”
For a player, a transfer was no small matter. When a big club reached out with an olive branch, even if the player wanted to grab it with both hands, their current contract often bound them, forcibly imprisoning their ambitions. Their new employer had to satisfy the old owner before they could leave.
In such three-way deals, aside from the mega-stars, smaller players were often passive and anxious.
But this time was different.
Thinking of this, Modrić, a heavy internet addict, took out his phone and started scrolling through Twitter.
Sure enough, as soon as he opened the blue website, he found that the UK trending topics were dominated by Manchester United’s new chairman. The latest hot topic was a picture of this young chairman standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the legendary Manchester United manager, Ferguson, holding up a club scarf together.
This allowed Modrić to see that young Eastern face again.
Twenty-one years old…
A few years younger than himself.
While he was grateful for the young chairman’s favor, privately, he didn’t particularly like this new Manchester United chairman. Perhaps it was because he was too young, or perhaps because he had grown up pampered, he seemed to decide everything on a whim.
Like buying Manchester United.
Like wanting to bring him to Manchester United.
Decisions made so hastily were often irrational. When the passion faded and the novelty wore off, what would be left for Manchester United’s future?
While he was thinking, his wife handed him an eye mask.
“Rest for a while. I know you just woke up, but getting some good sleep and clearing your head is better than looking at this stuff.”
Modrić silently took it and, just like his children, handed his phone to his wife.
Once he put on the eye mask and lay down obediently, Fana took out her own phone and searched for “Manchester United, Modrić.”
Having lived in England for so long, Fana knew a bit about Manchester United. If they said there were no walls without cracks in the football world, then during every transfer window, Manchester United’s walls became riddled with holes, turned into a sieve by the media. The young chairman’s interest in Luka should have leaked online by now.
That was the result she wanted to see, of course.
But as she scrolled, she was surprised to find nothing.
The news hadn’t leaked from the Manchester United side? That was unbelievable.
Since that was the case, she could only contact the Croatian media. In short, she wanted the whole world to know right now that their Luka was linked to Manchester United!
Meanwhile, at Carrington, Tang Moumou was signing his first document as the Chairman of Manchester United.
It was a brand-new summer transfer budget that the CEO’s office had rushed to prepare. Although it was the first document he signed since becoming chairman, Tang Moumou was filled with regret as he signed his name—
Because of the Idiot System’s mandatory requirement, I can only sign as [Tang]!
I can’t even give myself a temporary name!
In the face of his complaints and protests, the System coldly informed him that this was all his own doing.
Tang Moumou knew this, of course, and didn’t want to hear it harp on the same old tune.
But in the eyes of the CEO and the other staff, the young chairman’s expression while signing was so solemn, even sacred.
He must truly love this team.
At that moment, everyone shared the same thought.
After signing the contract, Tang Moumou felt a sense of loss. The CEO told him that the work the club had arranged for him was finished. It was like a reminder that he could return to his mansion, his private jet, or even his luxury yacht to continue his leisurely, extravagant life.
But where did Tang Moumou have to go?
He had even lost his sense of direction.
Just then, he saw Sir Alex Ferguson and had a sudden flash of inspiration. “Sir Alex Ferguson, do you have any plans for later?”
Ferguson looked at him, bewildered by the way he was staring with wide eyes—
Why does this kid’s gaze look more pitiful than a homeless puppy?
But he replied naturally, “Of course. I’m going back to Carrington to watch tapes of those boys you recommended. Are you coming to Carrington? I think many of the employees would like to see you.”
What was he waiting for!
The emptiness and numbness in Tang Moumou’s heart were instantly swept away. He said spiritedly, “Great, would I have the honor of riding with you?”
Then he discovered that Sir Alex Ferguson really did like him, even pampered him. The old man personally drove him to Carrington.
On the way, they discussed many topics, such as the players they wanted to clear out this summer.
Speaking of clearing players, Tang Moumou felt a bit of regret. If he had arrived one day earlier, Michael Owen would still have had to call him “Boss.”
Yes, a day ago, Michael Owen was still a Manchester United player. Because his contract hadn’t been renewed, Owen was now a free player, so he obviously couldn’t call him “BOSS.”
He shared this sentiment with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Sir Alex Ferguson burst into laughter and then asked him, “Do you know why I gave Michael Owen a two-year contract when he was at his lowest point and no other team would take him?”
Tang Moumou shook his head, his eyes lighting up. Ferguson signing a Liverpool (United’s arch-rival) cast-off, and a former Ballon d’Or winner at that—of course he was curious.
“To make that boy call me ‘BOSS,’ of course,” Ferguson laughed heartily.
“Pfft,” Tang Moumou laughed as well.
He knew Sir Alex Ferguson was joking, of course. But as the saying goes back home—how many truths are told in the form of a joke? If Sir Alex Ferguson said so, he would believe it.
“When he was a teenager, I wanted that boy to join United, but he turned me down and chose to stay at Liverpool. Although he reached his peak there, how should I put it—” Ferguson paused before continuing, “Scholes and Ryan Giggs are still playing. David has left United but hasn’t retired yet. Gary Neville only retired two years ago.”
It seemed like an entirely unrelated topic, but Tang Moumou, a die-hard Red Devil fan, understood Sir Alex Ferguson’s meaning.
Owen was good. Owen reached his peak at Liverpool and won the Ballon d’Or. But Liverpool had no idea how to nurture young talent, causing Owen to fall from his peak far too early. This was a total diss at the rivals.
Seeing his instant understanding, Ferguson smiled and said proudly, “Even though that boy rejected me back then, I still like him. He’s very professional. So I gave him a chance, and he even scored for United against Liverpool.”
“Pfft,” Tang Moumou laughed again.
That was very Ferguson, wasn’t it?
They chatted all the way. As they passed Manchester City’s training ground in Carrington, Ferguson pointedly mentioned them.
“Manchester City’s new training ground is almost finished. I expect they’ll be clearing out soon.”
Yes, the famous Carrington training ground wasn’t exclusive to Manchester United. Their cross-town rivals’ training ground was located in the same area. In fact, to get to United’s Carrington base, one had to pass City’s. The two teams’ training fields were right next to each other, supposedly separated only by a wire fence. Sometimes during passing drills, a ball would accidentally fly over to the other side.
Tang Moumou had heard such anecdotes and deliberately asked Sir Alex Ferguson about it.
“That’s how it is, but those guys are leaving,” Sir Alex Ferguson said.
Sir Alex Ferguson had mentioned it twice, and Tang Moumou caught the old man’s drift. He smiled and said, “What about this base then? If the City Football Group wants to sell, we can buy it and expand our base directly, turning it into the best training facility in all of Europe.”
Tang Moumou spoke with utter seriousness. In the future, it was precisely the outdated facilities of the youth academy that led many Manchester United legends to send their children to Manchester City’s academy. For a club like Manchester United, which valued and took pride in its youth system, this was a total humiliation.
Tang Moumou naturally didn’t want that humiliation to happen again.
Ferguson had mentioned City’s base just to remind the young chairman. In his heart, buying immediate talent was important, but developing one’s own players into global superstars was the Manchester United tradition and the path the club should continue to follow.
Who would have thought the young chairman not only remembered his promise but even wanted to buy the neighbor’s Carrington?
Sir Alex Ferguson’s mood couldn’t be better, and he looked at the young chairman with grandfatherly affection.
However, Sir Alex Ferguson’s good mood was spoiled as they drove up to the gates of Manchester United’s Carrington base.
There were crowds of media, cameras and microphones at the ready, waiting to snap photos. Some even tried to block the car or bang on the windows, shouting their questions.
Tang Moumou noticed that Modrić’s name was being mentioned. As expected of the football world, news traveled fast.
Sir Alex Ferguson noticed this too and couldn’t help but curse under his breath. He told the young chairman, “Don’t worry. Ignore them and don’t look at the cameras. We’ll be inside soon.”
And he was right. With the Carrington security forces in action, it wasn’t long before they drove into the base.
Ferguson didn’t drive to the parking lot but straight to the office building. That was when Tang Moumou noticed a large number of staff members already waiting.
“They are here to greet you,” Sir Alex Ferguson said with a smile. “Because they appreciate your generosity.”
When the Glazers arrived, some Carrington staff faced layoffs. When Tang arrived, all Manchester United staff received a pay raise. Who would refuse to pay respects to the boss who gave them a raise?
Hearing this, Tang Moumou was walking on air…
Ugh, dying like this wouldn’t be so bad.
While he followed Sir Alex Ferguson out of the car and shyly accepted the applause of the staff, our CEO was leisurely browsing the news about Modrić’s impending move to Manchester United.
Oh, this news was from a Daily Telegraph report citing sources in Croatia. It wasn’t hard to guess the source of the leak. This made the CEO silently admire the clever woman.
As for his negotiation with Levy?
Naturally… it had broken down.
Because when Levy called him back, he had opened his mouth wide and demanded forty million pounds.
To this, David Gill’s response was: “Friend, I must be clear with you. If the price is reasonable, we are happy to satisfy some of our young chairman’s collecting hobbies as a gift for his purchase of Manchester United. But I cannot sacrifice my professional reputation for it. I mean, I don’t want everyone calling me an idiot when they talk about this transfer. If this is still your attitude, there’s no deal. I’d rather talk to Bayern about their midfielders. I think Fergie would applaud that too; in fact, he doesn’t like new owners forcing players on him anyway. If you still want to talk business, think it over. Our final offer is thirty-five million pounds. You have eight hours to consider, as we must leave time for the player’s medical.”
Considering that the Jewish bald man was exceptionally shrewd, David Gill had specifically called Rummenigge, one of Bayern’s trio of giants, to avoid him spotting any loopholes.
While making that call, he specifically looked at the list of Bayern midfielders recommended by the scouts. Aside from Schweinsteiger, whom the new chairman had specified, there was also Toni Kroos, Bayern’s best-performing youngster this season. The former was a genuine target; the latter was used to bluff Levy.
Although no German player had ever joined Manchester United in the club’s history, and United had only ever done business with Bayern twice, this didn’t actually affect the personal relations between the two clubs. After all, they were both giants and former members of the G14; there was plenty of private communication.
And among Bayern’s management trio (Beckenbauer, Hoeneß, and Rummenigge), his favorite was Rummenigge.
However, Rummenigge was also greatly surprised that Manchester United wanted to buy Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos. He didn’t refuse outright but told Gill that they would need a meeting to discuss it.
This was also within David Gill’s expectations.
In the season that had just ended, Schweinsteiger hadn’t performed well. He broke his collarbone in a match against Napoli and later injured his ankle, making only 22 appearances in the entire season. He finally helped Bayern reach the Champions League final, only to miss his penalty.
As for Kroos, Gill knew there was basically no chance. In that same season, Kroos had made 51 appearances for Bayern, scoring 4 goals and providing 9 assists. With such a performance at his age, his future was limitless. It was precisely for this reason that Gill used him as a smokescreen to fool that bald Levy.
Besides contacting Rummenigge to discuss the transfer, Gill also used special connections to reach out to two German newspapers. He believed the reports would soon appear in the transfer news and catch Levy’s eye.
He had done everything he could.
As for what the player could do, Modrić’s wife had already started. Whether they could fulfill the young chairman’s wish now depended on how Levy evaluated Modrić as a player.
On the private jet, Fana was calling Levy.
She was officially informing Levy, acting as Modrić’s agent, that Modrić wanted a transfer. If a written application was needed, they would deliver it.
Levy wasn’t surprised by Fana’s call, but he hadn’t expected her attitude to be so aggressive, going as far as submitting a transfer request immediately.
This caught Levy quite off guard. He tried to persuade her several times during the call but couldn’t make Fana change her mind.
In desperation, Levy resorted to another set of arguments—pay raises, contract extensions. Whatever Manchester United could give, Spurs could match.
Fana didn’t even give him the chance to finish the sentence, saying calmly, “We appreciate your admiration for Luka. But besides money, Luka craves trophies. A player’s youth is limited. We have made our decision. I hope you will treat our transfer request seriously.”
After saying that, Fana politely hung up the phone.
And back in the United States, Levy was fuming.
One said he had to decide within eight hours, and the other said she was submitting a transfer request.
Do they think they have me cornered?