Galliani didn't keep Li Shiguang waiting for long.
On his third day back in Leeds, while Li Shiguang was still leading the players in the morning training session at the stadium, he received a call from Berlusconi: "Mr. Li, Mr. Berlusconi asked me to convey his greetings to you, and he has also accepted your offer. We have decided to choose your first option, to sell Kaká to Leeds United for 45 million euros at the end of this season."
Yay!
Upon hearing Galliani's voice, Li Shiguang instinctively tightened his grip on his phone with his right hand.
Acquiring Kaka for 45 million euros is practically a steal!
Once Kaka comes to Leeds United for two years of training, Li Shiguang is confident that he can sell him for double the price after Florentino returns to the helm!
With the club issue resolved, only the players themselves remain.
Li Shiguang replied in a relaxed tone, "Haha, thank you for mediating, Mr. Galliani. How about I have Allen come to Milan next week to sign a preliminary agreement with you?"
Both sides have reached a basic agreement, and Galliani is also very pleased.
The money from selling Kaka could greatly alleviate AC Milan's tight finances, so he quickly replied to Li Shiguang, "Sure, Mr. Allen has my phone number. Just have him contact me before he comes!"
After finishing the business, Galliani didn't forget Benítez's reminder and added with a hint of negotiation, "However, there's a small issue I need your cooperation on. We hope you won't leak this information before the end of the season! As you know, we've performed quite well in European competitions this season, and ensuring the team's results is part of my job. Besides, if it gets out, it will have a significant impact on me personally. As for Kaka, we won't inform him for the time being!"
"Hahaha, no problem, it's a small matter. I still have basic professional ethics!" Hearing Galliani's request, Li Shiguang almost burst out laughing, thinking that just one "phone scandal" almost caused a century-old family to fall into complete ruin!
He knew why Galliani said that.
AC Milan's season in Serie A has truly been a disaster. Starting with an 8-point deficit, and now, halfway through the season, they're a full 20 points behind their city rivals Inter Milan, who are currently top of the table. Forget about the title race; even securing a Champions League spot for next season is uncertain for coach Galliani. Therefore, he's placing particular emphasis on Milan's performance in the Champions League, as winning it would significantly reduce the pressure on them to finish in the top four of the league.
However, Li Shiguang wasn't laughing at AC Milan's predicament; he was laughing at Galliani's statement that if the matter were exposed, it would also affect him personally.
Also affected by the "Calciopoli" scandal, AC Milan vice-president Galliani was banned from all football-related activities for nine months by the Rome Sports Court, and that period hasn't expired yet! If someone with ulterior motives finds out that he was personally involved in Kaká's transfer negotiations, Galliani will inevitably face another court case...
With the club's position secured, now it's just a matter of the players' own attitude.
Li Shiguang wasn't worried. There were still over four months until the end of the season, they'd already saved 5 million euros, and he'd promised Galliani not to disturb the player prematurely. So, he'd let Kaká enjoy the rest of his wonderful time in Milan in peace...
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For the remaining two days, Li Shiguang devoted himself to the team's training. To his delight, Sun Jihai, who had suffered a serious injury at the beginning of the season, also resumed training with the team this week.
Li Shiguang has already made up his mind: if Sun Jihai recovers well, he will give him his debut for Leeds United in the FA Cup match against Manchester United at the end of the month!
This Saturday they will host Everton at home.
Li Shiguang's goal is to get as many points as possible in the league before the Champions League Round of 16 begins. He doesn't want to surpass Manchester United, but he wants to maintain a certain level of threat to them so that he can find an opportunity to overtake them when Manchester United's schedule gets tighter!
Leeds United, missing key players in the first half of the season, only managed to take one goal from Goodison John Park, where Everton's key player Arteta orchestrated both of the team's goals.
Returning to their home ground, Li Shiguang, having learned from Mourinho, immediately strengthened the defense against Arteta with his lineup, and his unexpected tactical arrangements caught David Moyes off guard.
Today, Li Shiguang benched Leeds United's key players Ribery and Bale, abandoning attacks down the flanks. He then fielded a midfield trio of Toure, Alonso, Rivaldo, and Modric. Whenever Arteta received the ball, Toure and Alonso would immediately rush in to mark him closely, leaving the Spaniard somewhat bewildered and hindering Everton's ability to organize their attacks.
On the contrary, Leeds United's counter-attacks were quite effective. Within 20 minutes of the start, Ibrahimovic and Torres had already each taken three shots.
Moyes was jumping up and down on the sidelines, constantly urging the other Everton players to go up and support Arteta, but the Leeds United players, back at home, didn't give Everton much time to adjust.
In the 29th minute, Arteta was dispossessed by Alonso in the middle, who quickly sent a precise through ball to Everton's left flank. Rivaldo received the through ball, took a few steps, and passed the ball to his right side before the defenders could react.
Meanwhile, Toure, who was making a high-speed run on the right, simply poked the ball forward, and he and the ball broke through Everton's defense and entered the penalty area.
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