Mourinho didn't quite understand what Li Shiguang meant: "Mr. Moratti has already promised me that if you agree to sell Sneijder, Inter Milan will give him a significant boost in personal terms!"
“I’m not talking about personal treatment,” Li Shiguang explained softly. “I know Wesley. Like Massimo, he is a very sentimental person. Especially after his unpleasant experience at Real Madrid, he is unlikely to want to leave Leeds United again.”
Li Shiguang's explanation immediately made Mourinho, who was also a head coach, understand.
To put it bluntly.
Sneijder was afraid that if he went to another club, he would repeat the mistake he made at Real Madrid, where he was immediately excluded from the squad by Capello!
In comparison, no matter what, Li Shiguang was the one who discovered him.
While staying at Leeds United, despite the intense competition and the fact that Sneijder was mostly a substitute for Kaká, he was at least always in Li Shiguang's plans.
“I understand what you mean, Lee.” After figuring it out, Mourinho didn’t mince words and immediately said, “I will find a way to persuade him. To be honest, I’ve been keeping an eye on Sneijder for a long time. I originally proposed to Chelsea this summer that I sell Shevchenko and buy Sneijder, but unfortunately, Roman rejected my proposal.”
"After learning last night that Jorge and Mr. Moratti had spoken on the phone, I studied Inter Milan's current squad and system overnight. In the end, I came to the conclusion that if I take over Inter Milan, Sneijder will be an indispensable member of my squad. He will be my tactical core and an absolute starter! I just said this to Mr. Moratti on the phone!"
"So Massimo just agreed to spend the money?" Li Shiguang asked with a smile.
"Yes, Mr. Moratti values my proposal very much." Mourinho's tone was clearly cheerful when he talked about this. "It's quite unexpected; I never imagined Mr. Moratti would agree to my request so readily over the phone, especially since I haven't even signed a contract with Inter Milan yet!"
“Alright!” Li Shiguang nodded, intending to end the conversation; he was genuinely hungry. “Jose, you can call Massimo back now and have him give me a formal offer! But I must remind you, Wesley’s value isn’t low; I won’t sell him for too little money!”
Li Shiguang gave an affirmative reply.
Mourinho breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked him again, "No problem! Thank you for your generosity, Lee! I will convey your message to Mr. Moratti!"
····
When they arrived at the club's canteen, Simone and Rivaldo were already sitting at the table, enjoying their meal.
After casually selecting a few dishes and carrying his own plate, Li Shiguang walked over to the two of them and, looking at Simone wolfing down his food, complained, "Damn, you didn't eat breakfast? You're eating so fast!"
Hearing the voice, Simone looked up blankly, with a piece of beef still in his mouth, and glanced at Li Shiguang: "How do you translate 'Oh Zile'?"
"Alright, alright, swallow this first before you talk." Giving Simeone a disdainful look, Li Shiguang slowly ate a bite of food, then said softly to Rivaldo and Simeone, "Diego, Ferreira, do you think we need to add a central midfielder if I sell Wesley?"
"Sell it!?"
"Selling again!?"
Rivaldo and Simone both looked up at Li Shiguang at the same time, their expressions quite interesting.
"Yes, after I got back to my office, I received a call from Mourinho. He's very close to joining Inter Milan. At Massimo's behest, he asked me to buy Sneijder, and I've already agreed." Li Shiguang nodded, then put a piece of beef in his mouth.
"Seriously, boss? Are you playing a game of endless nesting? Wesley's only been back for less than a year, and you're really going to send him back into the fire?" Simone pouted, complaining about Li Shiguang's actions.
In contrast, Rivaldo seemed much more serious; at least he was thinking about the questions raised by Li Shiguang.
"Boss, that depends on your expectations for the team this season. We'll be playing in the FA Cup after the New Year. If you want to compete for that title, I suggest you fill the void left by Wesley's departure. If you don't care about the FA Cup, then it doesn't matter. With our current squad, as long as there aren't any major injuries, we're more than capable of handling the league and the Champions League."
He ignored Simone.
Li Shiguang looked at Rivaldo: "I definitely want to compete for the FA Cup. Ferreira, call Ron later and ask if there are any good attacking midfielders on the market recently, preferably cheap ones with some organizational ability."
“Okay.” Rivaldo nodded.
After Li Shiguang finished speaking, Simone, who was standing next to him, suddenly thought of something: "Boss, I don't think we need to buy it outside."
Li Shiguang and Rivaldo both turned to look at Simone at the same time.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
“Ahem…ahem…” Simone cleared his throat dramatically and began to offer his opinion, “I was just thinking, if a certain level of organizational ability is required, then Kevin, James, and Luca can all fill this position, even Tony can. We don’t need to buy from outside.”
"Do you think I don't know that? The boss wouldn't have thought of that?" Rivaldo couldn't help but roll his eyes and complain. "Didn't I just say that with the FA Cup, the league, and the Champions League, if we take into account the three competitions and injuries, it's necessary to bring in a substitute."
Li Shiguang nodded in deep agreement, while not forgetting to roll his eyes at Simone once again.
Simone panicked immediately upon seeing this.
"No, what I mean is, we can pick someone from the youth team! Like that kid the boss brought back from France this summer! I went to see Thomas last week, and in just a few months, that kid has already become the midfield core of the U17 team! I observed him, and apart from being a little lacking in physique and strength, this kid is among the best of his age in terms of both footwork and football intelligence!"
"Wang Chu!?" A hint of surprise flashed across Li Shiguang's face.
“Yes! That’s the kid!” Simeone nodded. “This lad played as an attacking midfielder under Thomas, and his playmaking ability is really good. However, he’s still a bit too thin and can’t provide much help on the defensive end… Right now, he’s a bit like James when he first arrived at Thorpe’s Arch two years ago!”
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