Early Wednesday morning, Li Shiguang received a call from Allen. He thought Allen was calling to bring good news, but to his surprise, Allen said that the contact with Moggi was not going smoothly and that Juventus was unwilling to budge on the matter of selling Camoranesi.
On the other end of the phone, Allen sounded a bit angry: "Boss, Moji's attitude was really too much. I waited for a whole hour yesterday to see him, and when I offered to buy Camoranesi, he rejected me without even hearing my offer!"
Li Shiguang was clearly not prepared for Moji's attitude. He frowned subconsciously and asked, "What exactly did he say?"
"He didn't say anything at all. After rejecting me, he chatted with me for a couple of minutes and then had his secretary see me out! If you ask me, if all else fails, we should contact the player directly, double his salary, and let him put pressure on the club. Then we'll see who's in trouble!" Allen's tone became increasingly agitated.
Li Shiguang had initially considered Allen's suggestion, but he quickly dismissed the idea. If his target was Ibrahimovic or Zambrotta, this method might work, but with Camoranesi, who remained loyal even after Juventus' relegation to Serie B, this approach would likely backfire.
After a moment's thought, Li Shiguang made the arrangements: "Allen, book a restaurant for me in Turin, and then invite Gilaudo to dinner tonight."
After hanging up the phone, Li Shiguang immediately asked Lina to book a plane ticket. After finishing training at around 2 p.m., he boarded the plane bound for Turin.
Since the meeting time with Giroud was 6 o'clock sharp, out of courtesy, Li Shiguang, accompanied by Allen, arrived on time at 5:30 in a private room of a Michelin-starred restaurant in Turin to wait for Giroud and Mogi.
Meanwhile, in a car heading to the restaurant, Mogi and Gilaudo were talking in hushed tones.
"Luciano, why is Li Shiguang so fixated on Camoranesi? What was the quote his general manager offered again?"
Giraudo's question startled Moggi, who then realized, "Damn! I was busy getting off work yesterday, and when I heard about buying Camoranesi, I don't think I asked him how much Leeds United were willing to offer before rejecting him!"
With a quick glance around his head and a moment's thought, Moggi replied, "Antonio, Camoranesi is not for sale. No matter how much they offer, I will not sell him without your permission."
Gilaudo wasn't stupid. After hearing what Moji said, he knew that the old man had probably dismissed the other party without even asking the price. No wonder the boss came to him today.
I had just arrived at my office in the morning when my secretary came in and said that the owner of Leeds United had invited me to dinner to discuss some cooperation. I was completely confused, thinking that Juventus and Leeds United had never had any contact before, so what was there to talk about? Later, I asked my secretary to find out a little more, and I learned that Li Shiguang wanted to buy Camoranesi.
Girouddo is a thorough businessman. After taking over Juventus, he devoted almost all his energy to increasing the club's market value, including signing a 12-year apparel sponsorship deal with Nike and selling Juventus' front-of-shirt sponsorship to Sky Sports, the buyer of the television broadcasting rights.
This practice drew heavy criticism from the Italian football community, including members of the Ranieri family.
However, the results were remarkable. Unlike other Italian clubs, Juventus' market value was developed to an unprecedented degree under his management. Therefore, in Gilardino's eyes, as long as the price was right, everything else in Juventus except for the equity was available for sale!
Having figured this out, Gilaudo nodded in response, then closed his eyes and stopped talking, pondering what price he should ask for later.
About fifteen minutes later, the car arrived at the restaurant that Li Guangshi had booked. Seeing Giroud and Mogi get out of the car, Allen, who was waiting outside the restaurant, hurriedly walked over. After skipping Mogi in front of him, he bowed to Giroud with a smile and said, "This way, Mr. Giroud, thank you for coming. I am Allen, the general manager of Leeds United. The boss is already waiting for you in the private room."
Upon hearing that Li Shiguang was already waiting for him at the restaurant, Gilauddo nodded in response to Allen and quickly walked into the restaurant.
A moment later, Gilaudo met Li Shiguang in the private room. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Shiguang took the initiative to start a conversation.
Having been in Europe for so long, Li Shiguang still retains some of his old business habits, such as liking to invite his negotiating partners to dinner to talk over a meal. However, when it comes to discussing business, he has gradually adopted the local customs. So, without beating around the bush, as soon as the four of them sat down, Li Shiguang said directly, "Mr. Giraudo, I won't beat around the bush. The main reason I invited you here today is to discuss Camoranesi. We want to buy him after the winter transfer window opens, but Allen reported to me that Mr. Moggi seems to be dissatisfied with our offer?"
Upon hearing Li Shiguang's words, Mo Ji, who had been smiling obsequiously, froze, his smile turning awkward. He cursed inwardly, "Damn it! I sent that Englishman away yesterday before he even said how much he was planning to pay! Besides, can you just get to the point? Don't drag me into this. What do you mean I'm not satisfied? I'm just a general manager! What can I do if I'm satisfied?"
Gila-Udo knew that Li Shiguang was only saying this to annoy Moji and to stand up for his subordinate.
However, since Moggi was the one who acted improperly first, Gilaudo did not argue with Li Shiguang on this issue. Instead, he said directly, "Mr. Li, as you know, Camoranesi is an absolute key player for Juventus and also an Italian international. From Juventus' perspective, the previous offer was indeed not in line with his current value."
Seeing that Giraudo had ignored his dissatisfaction with Moggi, Li Shiguang stopped pressing the matter and said with a smile, "Mr. Giraudo, we are very sincere in our interest in acquiring Camoranesi. How about we increase our original offer to 9 million euros? What do you think of this price?"
Upon learning of Leeds United's offer, Gilardino looked troubled and said, "Mr. Leeds, we spent nearly 9 million euros to acquire Camoranesi. Your offer leaves Juventus with absolutely no profit."
Upon hearing Gilaudo's refusal, Li Shiguang's smile gradually faded...
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