However, Calderon seemed to know that Li Shiguang would reject the offer, and his tone remained calm: "Mr. Li, but as far as I know, Maicon's contract only has one and a half years left. If you don't sell now, and he doesn't want to renew, you'll end up with nothing."

Calderon's words were undoubtedly a blatant threat.

really!

Maicon's contract has only a year and a half left. If he insists on not renewing, even if other teams are interested in him later, the possibility of selling him for a high price is very low.

In general, in such cases, the club seeking to acquire the player will reach a private agreement with the player beforehand, allowing the player to join as a free agent once their contract expires. At worst, the club will simply pay a separate signing bonus, which will definitely be lower than buying the player directly from their current club. However, if this situation actually occurs, it means that the player has completely broken ties with their current club, and the club is not entirely without recourse.

For example, if Maicon really insists on going his own way now, Li Shiguang can simply demote him to the reserve team and not give him any playing time in the first team. This will inevitably affect Maicon's competitive form. Even if he wants to go to Real Madrid, he will have to see if the other team wants him!

But if he were to do that, there's one thing Li Shiguang must address first.

That means he must find a replacement for Maicon at right-back immediately to ensure Leeds United are competitive in the upcoming matches.

As for this candidate, Li Shiguang hadn't had time to think about it since he was busy with training after hearing Allen's report that morning.

However, Calderon's words spurred him on, and a name suddenly popped into his mind...