After watching a few more matches with Chen Guanhai and his son, Li Shiguang's enjoyable World Cup journey ultimately did not last.
On June 25th, the Premier League's summer transfer window officially opened. Starting from the 26th, Li Shiguang received at least five phone calls from Allen every day.
This forced him to return to Leeds after watching the round of 16 match between Germany and Argentina.
Of course, before returning home, Li Shiguang still took Mascherano out for a meal after the game to comfort his beloved player.
After returning to Leeds, Li Shiguang rested for a day.
The next morning, accompanied by Allen, he arrived at Elland Road Stadium to check on the progress of the stadium expansion. Allen had already completed the expansion procedures and the bidding process for the construction team, and was just waiting for Li Shiguang to give the order. So, after learning that Li Shiguang and Lao Chen had reached a verbal agreement, Allen immediately notified the construction team to enter the site, and construction began the next day.
To Li Shiguang's delight, Elland Road Stadium will add nearly 20,000 seats after the expansion is completed, which means that Leeds United's ticket revenue will almost double starting next season.
After watching the game, Li Shiguang wanted to have lunch with Allen and rest first.
But Allen didn't give him that chance at all. He called Lina right in front of him and asked her to prepare two pizzas and put them in Li Shiguang's office. Then he pulled Li Shiguang into the car and drove to Thorpe Arch Base.
"Allen, is it really that bad? Now that you're the general manager, you won't even give me time to have lunch? My life is my life too!" Li Shiguang complained helplessly after being forced into the car because he hadn't had lunch.
Li Shiguang's words made Allen roll his eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. Who is the real idiot here? You've been out having fun for almost a month, while I'm the one who's been stuck in Leeds working like a slave every day!
With a pursed lip, Allen took a thick folder out of his briefcase and handed it to Li Shiguang: "Boss, stop complaining. Look at the quotes we've received these past few days. If you keep going out there having fun, doesn't your conscience hurt?"
"Holy crap, so many!?" Li Shiguang exclaimed in surprise as he took them.
After all, the summer transfer window had only been open for a few days. Allen did tell Li Shiguang on the phone that he had received many offers from teams, but he didn't expect there to be so many!
It seems the World Cup really is the best opportunity to boost a player's market value!
Upon opening the folder, the first thing that caught Li Shiguang's eye was Barcelona's offer for Falcao: 36 million euros.
Falcao's performance in the Premier League last season was indeed outstanding. For a long time, he was a strong contender for the Premier League Golden Boot. Although he eventually lost to Henry in his prime, he still won the title of Premier League Silver Boot. It is no exaggeration to say that he was Leeds United's sharpest sword.
Scrolling down, besides Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, also from La Liga, also made an offer for Falcao to Leeds United, but compared to Barcelona, Atletico Madrid's offer of only 27 million euros seemed a bit meager.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Shiguang handed both offers to Allen: "Reject them. Atletico Madrid can reveal that Barcelona is also interested in acquiring Falcao. As for Barcelona, it's just two words: raise the price!"
During his season at Leeds United, Falcao made rapid progress and was rated A by the system.
Li Shiguang believed that in at most another year, Falcao's ability would definitely be able to break through to S level, and if he were to sell him then, the price would at least double.
It's worth noting that in the original timeline, Falcao joined Monaco from Atlético Madrid for a record-breaking €60 million in Ligue 1.
So Li Shiguang wasn't in a hurry to accept these two offers. He let them compete for a while, hoping that one of them might offer a price that satisfied him.
After handing the paper to Allen, Li Shiguang continued reading, and at the top was Manchester United's €30 million offer for Berbatov.
Upon seeing the price, Li Shiguang couldn't help but joke, "Wow! The old sir is trying to snatch people from me again. You know what, he's actually quite sincere."
Hearing Li Shiguang's teasing, Allen also laughed along: "Hahaha, it seems Ferguson hasn't been scared off by you, boss, yet."
Picking up the price list, Li Shiguang lowered his head and began to consider the possibility of selling Berbatov.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic already secured and Lukas Podolski shining at the World Cup, Berbatov will likely be relegated to a substitute role or play as an attacking midfielder next season.
But judging from Rivaldo's current form, playing for another year shouldn't be a problem. Furthermore, with the Champions League title, Leeds United definitely needs the experience of this veteran player. Also, starting next season, the young De Bruyne will be able to play. So Berbatov's position in the team does seem rather awkward.
Furthermore, Li Shiguang also considered a key point: his tactical style often emphasizes speed, but Berbatov's playing style is not really suitable for him. This is the main reason why Li Shiguang prefers to use Podolski or Vardy in the second half of the season.
After some analysis, Li Shiguang had made up his mind: selling Berbatov should be a good idea, and he could also make a small profit while building a good relationship with Ferguson.
After all, Berbatov is not as bad as Tessho!
After returning to Thorpe Arch, Allen rushed to reply to emails from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Li Shiguang returned to his office, made himself a cup of tea, and then dialed Ferguson's number.
"Hello, Li, what's up?" Ferguson's voice came through the phone.
"Alex, shouldn't you be the one looking for me?" Li Shiguang's voice carried a hint of amusement.
Ferguson thought for a moment before coming to his senses: "You went back to Leeds?"
“Yes, Alex, Allen just showed me your offer.” Li Shiguang said calmly, pausing briefly before continuing, “This offer is very sincere, and I won’t put any obstacles in the way as long as the player agrees.”
Li Shiguang's straightforward attitude surprised Ferguson on the other end of the phone.
When Ferguson heard Li Shiguang pause, he thought there would be a long negotiation between the two, after all, in Ferguson's mind, Li Shiguang was notoriously difficult to deal with!
For a moment, he couldn't think of a reply.
Seeing that Ferguson hadn't replied for a while, Li Shiguang joked again: "What? Not buying it anymore?"
Upon hearing this joke, Ferguson realized his mistake and said, "Haha, thank you, Lee. I'll have someone contact the player's agent right away."
After finishing their business, the two exchanged a few more pleasantries and then hung up the phone.
In just a few minutes, Li Shiguang happily pocketed another 30 million euros!
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