"acting?"
“Yes!” Li Shiguang nodded unconsciously. “Mr. Perez, I am currently in Switzerland.”
"Switzerland?" Florentino didn't quite understand why Li Shiguang suddenly mentioned Switzerland, and repeated the question.
"Yes, Mendes is here too. I just had coffee with him."
Holy crap! Mendes is here too!?
Upon hearing this news from Li Shiguang, Florentino's eyes widened in disbelief. "Li! You're up to this again, aren't you?! You've already messed with me, now you have to mess with Ferguson too?! Be careful he doesn't curse you to death in the media!"
“It was a chance encounter! We just bumped into each other! Interlaken is a tourist city. I was on vacation and met Mendes, who was also traveling. We're all in the same circle, so isn't it perfectly reasonable for us to sit down and have a cup of coffee?”
"Get lost! You're kidding me!" Ignoring Li Shiguang's excuses, Florentino steered the conversation back on track and asked, "So you and Mendes reached an agreement?"
"Yes, we've basically reached an agreement," Li Shiguang replied calmly. "That's why I need your help! Mr. Perez, I learned from Mendes that Cristiano has always wanted to join Real Madrid, and Calderon also wants to sign him. So, if Real Madrid officially makes an offer for him this winter, frankly, my plan to sign him will most likely fall through!"
Damn! You're really fast!
Hearing that Li Shiguang and Mendes had reached a private agreement, Florentino was both angry and amused. He still remembered Li Shiguang's righteous accusations against Calderon for sending people to contact Maicon's agent in secret during last season's winter break. Only half a year later, Li Shiguang himself was stabbing Calderon and Ferguson in the back!
But the same logic applies: ultimately, he's just a retired old man with nothing to do. If Real Madrid decides to make an offer to Manchester United for Ronaldo this winter, there's nothing he can do to stop it!
So Florentino quickly explained, "Well, there's nothing I can do to help you. The winter break is just over a month away. No matter how fast I act, it's impossible to oust Calderon in that short time."
“Mr. Perez, there’s no need to be in such a rush.” Li Shiguang laughed. “Mendes might help me delay Calderon’s offer. After this winter break, he might not have time to focus on Ronaldo anymore, right?”
Florentino knew what Li Shiguang was referring to, and he nodded: "Yes, I should launch the final offensive by March at the latest."
"Yes, so you don't need to worry about that! The help I need is very simple: after you come back to power, just make it clear in public that Real Madrid has no intention of signing Cristiano."
"Huh?" Li Shiguang's words startled Florentino.
Isn't this cutting off my escape route?
Real Madrid under Florentino Pérez has always pursued a superstar-driven approach.
In his original plan, once Calderón stepped down, he would definitely try to help his candidacy by proposing to bring in a few superstars. Cristiano was a player that many Real Madrid fans were hoping the club would sign. If he were to publicly give up on signing him at this time, wouldn't he be shooting himself in the foot?
Li Shiguang could probably guess what Florentino was thinking.
Knowing that Ronaldo was an important tool for Florentino Pérez to consolidate his power at Real Madrid, he suddenly hesitated after offering to help.
In order to dispel the Empress Dowager's concerns.
Li Shiguang's eyes darted around, and another brilliant idea popped into his head: "Mr. Perez, can you help me with this?"
“Ah… I can… I can help.” Florentino hesitated slightly when he answered, but finally decided to tell the truth, “But… Lee, Cristiano is also very important to me!”
Faced with the old lady's hesitant attitude, Li Shiguang asked directly: "Is it because of the superstar policy?"
Seeing that Li Shiguang had already said so.
Florentino immediately responded, "Lee, you know, after Calderón stepped down, I had to run for office to come to power, and Kaká and Cristiano were both in my plans! But you've already bought Kaká, so now only Cristiano is left. You're doing me a favor..."
really!
Florentino is worried that he won't be able to bring in any big-name signings to convince the fans who will vote.
This problem may be more difficult for other clubs to solve.
After all, high-profile signings are the star players of each team. They are expensive, and even if you want to buy them, others may not want to sell them!
For Li Shiguang, this was like a dream come true. When it comes to selling players, you can't find another owner in all of Europe as proactive as him!
“That’s not a problem, Mr. Perez!” While Florentino was still debating whether to agree to Li Shiguang’s offer, Li Shiguang’s calm voice came through the phone the next second, “You want star players? Leeds United has plenty. I can pick one here at random, and he’ll be even more impressive than Cristiano!”
Li Shiguang wasn't just making things up.
Cristiano Ronaldo's most glorious and invincible period at Manchester United was the 2007-2008 season, in which his perfect performance led Manchester United to win the Community Shield, the league, and the Champions League.
However, Li Shiguang's appearance caused the title that should have belonged to Manchester United last season to slip away from Ronaldo. Without the league title, the Community Shield was naturally lost as well.
With Leeds United as an unpredictable factor, it's uncertain whether Cristiano Ronaldo can win both the league title and the Champions League title this season.
So now that he has no honors to his name, his market value is actually lower than some of the players in the Leeds United team!
Upon hearing Li Shiguang's words, Florentino's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, "Then next summer, you'll bring Kaka...?"
"Don't even think about it!" Li Shiguang immediately interrupted Florentino. "Kaka is out of the question. I've already talked to you about it before. He'll be staying at Leeds United for at least 2-3 years! But besides Kaka, I can also sell you Zlatan or Fernando up front, and for the midfield position, I can sell you a player!"
"Damn it, I knew it!" Florentino cursed under his breath, then stopped worrying about Kaká and said to himself, "Hmm—Fernando won't do. He came from Atlético Madrid's youth academy, so even if I wanted to buy him, he probably wouldn't come... But Zlatan, well, that's something I could consider."
Li Shiguang didn't disturb him, but simply listened quietly to Florentino's self-talk, a smug smile on his face...
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