The visitors were AC Milan's vice president Adriano Galliani and head coach Carlo Ancelotti. Like Li Shiguang, they were also there to attend tonight's Champions League Round of 16 draw ceremony.

After speaking with Li Shiguang on New Year's Day, Raiola quickly contacted Galliani, conveyed Li Shiguang's intentions, and just three days ago, Galliani finally replied.

Then, thanks to Raiola's matchmaking, today's meeting in Zurich took place.

After everyone sat down, Galliani first looked at Ancelotti next to him and introduced him to Li Shiguang: "Mr. Li, this is our AC Milan head coach Carlo Ancelotti."

Li Shiguang nodded to Ancelotti and extended his right hand: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ancelotti. I really like your coaching style."

At this time, Ancelotti did not look as fat as when he was in charge of Real Madrid.

Even knowing that today's meeting might determine the fate of his most important player at this stage, he still wore a warm and welcoming smile.

He saw that Li Shiguang took the initiative to greet him.

Ancelotti, who had just sat down, stood up again, took off his hat with his left hand and placed it in front of his chest. He leaned forward slightly and then bent down to shake Li Shiguang's hand: "Mr. Li, it is my honor to receive your praise!"

? ? ?

Holy crap? So humble?

Ancelotti's politeness genuinely surprised Li Shiguang.

I'd heard before that the reason Ancelotti could completely control the locker room wherever he went was because of his extremely high emotional intelligence and his meticulous care for every player.

Some fans even say that Ancelotti is the only manager who can strike a balance between the club president's "interference" and his own tactical requirements, as well as the demands of the team's star players and his tactical choices, thus achieving his tactical intentions on the field and satisfying all parties off the field. Although he doesn't have the "iron fist" of Ferguson or Capello, with him around, there are basically no discordant voices in the locker room!

After the bigwigs had finished their pleasantries, the waiter brought two steaming cups of coffee to the table. Raiola, sitting in the middle, broke the silence and got the group to the main topic.

“Mr. Galliani, as the intermediary between you and Mr. Li, I have already conveyed Mr. Li’s general message to you. I wonder if you and Carlo have reached a conclusion?”

Galliani didn't answer Raiola directly. His gaze flickered between Li Shiguang and Raiola, and instead, he asked with a cold smile, "Mino, I'm curious, are you working for Mr. Li now?"

“You’re joking, Mr. Galliani! It’s my work discipline not to get too close to the club’s management,” Raiola quickly waved his hand to explain.

"Oh?" Although he was questioning Raiola, Galliani's eyes were fixed on Li Shiguang. "But I heard that besides Zlatan, you were also the one who brokered Fabio's move to Leeds United last summer. And the fact that our negotiations with Kaká didn't go smoothly is a secret of AC Milan... I can't understand how it got to England out of nowhere..."

"this...."

Raiola, not wanting to tarnish his reputation among these top clubs, was awkwardly trying to figure out how to explain Galliani's probing questions when Li Shiguang stepped in to save him: "Hahaha, Mr. Galliani, you've misunderstood. Leeds United has its own intelligence channels regarding Kaka's contract renewal not going smoothly. My scouts, whom I've paid a lot of money to hire, aren't they just sitting around doing nothing, are they?"

"I approached Mino after learning about this news. After all, we had a good working relationship before, and I still trust him. He also conveyed my message to you immediately. As you can see, no one else spread this news."

Galliani wanted exactly this kind of answer. Too many people knowing this news wouldn't be good for AC Milan and Kaká's contract renewal negotiations! Besides, he was fed up with that greedy Gaetaro. If it weren't for Gaetaro's interference, the skilled negotiator Galliani would have already completed the contract renewal with Kaká at a lower salary.

The AC Milan board has been discussing Kaká's future for a long time, and most people want him to stay, including Ancelotti sitting next to him.

Players like Kaká, who are handsome, extremely disciplined, and exceptionally talented, greatly enhance the club's image! Even though AC Milan already has a large fan base around the world, Galliani, as the de facto head of this century-old Italian powerhouse, genuinely doesn't want to give up on the team's hopes for at least the next five years so easily, and the players themselves don't want to leave AC Milan either.

Galliani would never have shown up at this café tonight if he hadn't been absolutely forced to.

Starting around 2000, Serie A gradually began to decline. Many star players from various teams were poached by teams from La Liga or the Premier League. Poor financial conditions, outdated stadium facilities, and high taxes made Serie A less and less attractive to star players year by year. Last year's "Calciopoli" scandal became the last straw that broke the camel's back for Serie A.

Before the start of the new season, AC Milan's home game season ticket sales were already far from what they had been before.

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