Whether Maicon guessed that Allen had already reported to him about his contract renewal or not, Li Shiguang felt that Maicon was avoiding his gaze throughout the training session today.

In order not to let this matter affect the competition during this period, Li Shiguang called Maicon to his office after training, wanting to find out the young man's true thoughts.

"Sit down, Michael. Would plain water be alright?"

Back in his office, Li Shiguang asked Mai Kong to sit down first, then personally poured two glasses of water before returning.

Maicon seemed to know what Li Shiguang wanted to talk to him about, so after Li Shiguang sat down, he took the initiative to speak: "Boss, did you call me here today to talk about contract renewal?"

Li Shiguang nodded in response: "Yes, I heard from Allen that the negotiations between him and your agent regarding salary were not going well, so I wanted to ask you about the specific situation. Was this level of salary increase your own request, or are there other reasons?"

Actually, Li Shiguang was quite puzzled when he learned that Maicon's salary demands were a bit higher than he expected, because Maicon is different from many Brazilian players; he didn't come from a slum.

Maicon's father had a decent job in his hometown; he was the head coach of the youth team at a local football club, earning a middle-to-upper-level income. It was under his father's influence that Maicon embarked on the path of football.

In European and American football, if a family has such a football tradition, players generally prioritize competition and honor over money. Therefore, Li Shiguang doesn't believe that Maicon himself proposed such a significant salary increase; there must be some ulterior motives involved.

Sure enough, as soon as Li Shiguang finished speaking, Maicon spoke up: "Boss, this was absolutely not my idea! I told Antonio to speak frankly before, but he said he wanted to have a backup plan, so he made that condition to Allen. Actually, I didn't agree with it!"

After speaking, Maicon glanced at Li Shiguang's expression and saw that Li Shiguang was just looking at him, waiting for him to finish speaking.

Then, as if he had made a very important decision, he took a deep breath and said, "Boss, I've always had a dream..."

However, before Maicon could even voice what this dream was, he was interrupted by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

Allen came in after opening the door.

He first glanced at McDonnell on the sofa, then pointed to the phone in his hand that seemed to be connected, gesturing to Li Shiguang.

Li Shiguang immediately understood and patted Maicon on the shoulder: "Michael, I understand, but it seems I have some urgent business to attend to right now. Let's talk about your matter tomorrow."

As soon as Maicon stepped out the door, Allen handed his phone to Li Shiguang: "Boss, it's Calderon on the phone."

Li Shiguang was taken aback at first, then immediately thought of Maicon who had just left the house.

It seems we've found the reason behind Antonio's outrageous contract extension demands! Li Shiguang also roughly knows what Maicon's dream is.

····

Li Shiguang took the phone from Allen and greeted the new head of Real Madrid, whom he was meeting for the first time: "Hello, Mr. Calderon, this is Li Shiguang. How can I help you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man's voice, which sounded fairly kind, came from the other end of the phone.

"Haha, Mr. Li, hello! I'm sorry to bother you so suddenly! I'm Calderón, the new president of Real Madrid! Mr. Alan just said that you were getting ready to leave work, so I'm sorry to bother you at this time."

Li Shiguang smiled. He already knew the purpose of Calderon's call, so he didn't want to be too polite and repeated, "Nothing, Mr. Calderon. I heard Mr. Florentino mention you before. May I ask what brings you here today?"

Seeing that Li Shiguang didn't seem to want to exchange more pleasantries with him, Calderon wisely cut straight to the point.

"Mr. Li, the reason I am calling you today is to formally propose to you the purchase of Leeds United's right-back, Maicon."

Damn it, I knew it! Hearing this, Li Shiguang couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Combined with Maicon's hesitant attitude just now, Li Shiguang was certain that Calderon, that old man, had definitely contacted the players in advance!

Even if they didn't directly contact Maicon, they must have been on very good terms with Maicon's agent, Antonio. Otherwise, why would Antonio have proposed such outrageous contract extension terms!

The thought of this situation made Li Shiguang very unhappy, so he coldly said, "Sure! Then what is your offer for Maicon?"

"10 million euros."

Upon hearing the price, Li Shiguang frowned and immediately and seriously rejected Calderon: "I'm sorry, Mr. Calderon, this price is far from what I'm looking for."

This isn't the Leeds United we were two years ago, still struggling in the Championship! Leeds United is now a genuine Champions League Round of 16 and Premier League title contender!

Maicon put up an impressive 8 assists and 2 goals for Leeds United last season, and his playing time was consistently among the highest of all Leeds players. Most importantly, Maicon is only 26 years old! Even though the full-back position demands high physical fitness, Maicon could still play at a good level for at least another 3-4 years. With stats like that, and a player of that age, are you kidding me?! €10 million to buy him? That price is truly insulting!

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!