Chapter 740 The Last Piece

"What is their detailed plan?" Yang Huan asked with interest.

Beiersdorf thought about it and said, "Convert the club into a joint-stock company, sell some shares to investors, increase the club's cash flow, and solve the imminent debt crisis."

"In return, the club's board of directors will be reduced to six members, and investors can appoint up to two people to the board and participate in the day-to-day operations of the club."

According to the nature of most Bundesliga teams at present, it is impossible to attract investors.

So, if a company like Hamburg wants to sell its shares, it must first transform itself into a joint-stock company.

Hamburg had passed this resolution as early as January, and in the past three months, the club has successfully transformed the club into a joint-stock company and taken the first step in selling shares.

"The outside world currently values ​​Hamburg at more than 100 million euros, so their initial intention is to sell 25 percent of their shares in exchange for 30 million euros in cash."

"Of the total, 10 million euros will be used to repay the club's debts, and the rest will be used to operate the summer transfer window. We hope to help Hamburg return to the European arena in the shortest possible time."

Yang Huan calculated in his mind, wow, 30 million euros, can be exchanged for two seats on the board of directors?

It has to be said that this move by Hamburg’s management is not stupid. At least the prospects are promising, aren’t they?

If this operation can greatly enhance Hamburg's competitiveness, help the team get out of its current predicament and return to the upper middle level, it will definitely be a good move worthy of recognition.

But what does this have to do with Yang Huan?

Just 25% of the shares!

Yang Huan felt a little disappointed. He turned his head and glanced at Thomas Lake. "Thomas, what do you think?"

Thomas Lake was obviously thinking about this question as well, because he knew that the client's requirement was to acquire Hamburg completely.

"Master Huan, I think our plan should be divided into several steps."

"Oh?" Yang Huanlai became interested and smiled slightly, "Tell me about it."

"As the Chinese say, you can't become fat in one bite. The Bundesliga has strict rules and many loopholes, but if we force our way through, it will probably lead to a situation like RB Leipzig, where we become the target of public criticism, which would be a loss."

This is also what Yang Huan is more worried about.

He has always been a self-disciplined person and believes that harmony brings wealth.

It would be completely unnecessary to offend the entire German football world in order to acquire Hamburg.

"So, my suggestion is that the first step is to seek to gain a firm foothold."

"Go on." Yang Huan understood a little.

"I think we can have open talks with Hamburg. I have accurate information that Hamburg's debt is very serious, more than 100 million euros. How much is the interest every month? I can guarantee that even if they spend 30 million euros, they won't be able to make much of a difference. Instead, they will get deeper and deeper into trouble."

Thomas Lake said this and looked around at everyone.

"Hamburg's transfer strategy over the past few years has been very problematic. The short-sightedness of the management has caused them to excessively pursue high-profile stars in terms of signings. This has certainly brought Hamburg a lot of financial income, but it has also put a heavy pressure on salaries. For example, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rafael van der Vaart who is still in the team, former Arsenal central defender Djordjevic, former German goalkeeper Adler, and Westermann all have high salaries."

"This has created a dilemma. The team has made great efforts to recruit players and spent a lot of money, but its strength has not improved much. The club can hardly benefit from player transfers. Instead, it has to invest a lot of money every year to ensure the team's competitiveness in the Bundesliga!"

When Yang Huan heard this, his eyes lit up.

Because he discovered that this key talent of Germany's largest bank was actually so familiar with football affairs.

"Thomas, are you a fan?" Yang Huan suddenly asked with a smile.

Many people present were stunned for a moment, obviously not reacting.

Only Cash Harris knew that Master Huan was trying to find out the truth.

"Well, Master Huan, I am a football fan. There is almost no one in Germany who doesn't like football."

"Which team?" Yang Huan asked again.

Thomas Lake was a little embarrassed now, "Uh, Frankfurt!"

"Oh!" Yang Huan didn't say anything else. This is normal, isn't it?

"Keep going!"

Thomas Rek had no idea what Young Master Huan meant. After thinking for a while, he continued, "Because of the club's business strategy, the current actions of Hamburg management are like drinking poison to quench thirst. In addition, Hamburg's youth training has always been poor. Therefore, unless they can effectively adjust the team's business philosophy in the short term and quickly strengthen the team's strength, otherwise, they will have to continue to rely on selling shares to make a living in the next few years!"

"So what you mean is..."

Thomas Lake spread his hands and said, "They want to sell, we want to buy, let's continue the trade."

Yang Huan suddenly thought of the time when he and Daniel Levy discussed investing in Tottenham Hotspur.

Yang Huan's plan at the beginning was very shrewd, and he also voted for Tottenham Hotspur. However, not long after, Yang Huan changed his mind and brought Qatar's Prime Minister Hamad into the game.

But now, Hamburg is eager to strengthen its strength, so recruiting players is quite necessary.

And what about Yang Huan?

There is nothing else but a lot of high-quality players.

Needless to say, there are a large number of players in Southampton's youth training camp waiting to participate in high-level competitions.

And then there is Southampton’s scouting system.

It can be said that if it were not for the policy restrictions of the German Football Association, Yang Huan is absolutely sure that he can build a team for Hamburg with upper-middle and even upper-level capabilities in a short period of time, and even qualify for European competitions.

But Thomas Lake's plan is unlikely to produce immediate results. Instead, it will take some time to implement, slowly and steadily. It may take three to five years at the shortest, or even ten years at the longest. Who knows?

But the advantage is that it can prevent Yang Huan from becoming the target of public criticism.

One of the most important reasons why Yang Huan is so interested in acquiring Hamburg this time is that he is eager to enter Germany.

Germany's advanced manufacturing technology is amazing, especially some of its hidden champion companies.

The so-called hidden champions refer specifically to small but strong companies that are small in scale but control the global market in their respective fields.

Over the past few years, as more and more Chinese capital has entered Germany, these hidden champions have become what Chinese capital most desires, and many have been acquired. However, there are still some relatively sensitive companies and fields that are likely to attract attention and even interference in Germany and the world, and Chinese capital is helpless for various reasons.

But if Yang Huan's company can enter the market under the name of running a football team and then make a big push into the German market, I believe many things will be much easier.

In addition, Hamburg's potential is indeed huge, both as a city and as a team.

Hamburg's stadium is located in the northwest suburbs of the city, a bit far from the city center, and there are no attractive tourist resources around it. However, it is close to the airport, and the subway and transportation are very convenient, and there are many residents in the surrounding area.

There is a training ground next to the stadium and there is plenty of land, which makes it convenient for Yang Huan to implement his plan to build a complete business ecosystem around the stadium.

And from the map, Southampton mainly faces the United Kingdom, Madrid, Monaco and Milan belong to southern Europe and radiate the entire western Mediterranean, Basel, Vienna and Prague radiate the entire central Europe, and Brussels and Amsterdam are located on the western coastline of the entire European continent.

Yang Huan had previously used Daniel Levy and his connections with ENIC to once again take over AEK Athens, which is currently playing in the Greek League B. This means that he has a foothold in the eastern Mediterranean.

The only drawback is that Yang Huan has no experience in the vast Nordic region, which is the richest and most developed region in Europe.

But now, if we can take over Hamburg and use it to radiate the entire Nordic region, we can complete the last piece of the puzzle.

Therefore, for Yang Huan, the acquisition of Hamburg is at most a matter of 100 or 200 million euros, but behind the acquisition there are even greater benefits.

But precisely because of this, every step must be taken with great caution.

"Okay, this matter is decided!"

Yang Huan felt that after discussing the entire plan to this point, it was time to make a decision.

What he hates most is people who are indecisive and value their own lives when doing big things.

On the contrary, his principle in doing things has always been to be bold but careful, and once he makes a decision, he will definitely move forward.

He might fail or get frustrated, but he would never regret it.

"Thomas!" Yang Huan looked at Thomas Lake.

The latter immediately raised his head and looked at his client.

"You are our senior consultant for this acquisition. I will leave this matter to you and let you take charge on my behalf. Is that ok?"

"Me?" Thomas Lake was a little surprised.

He is just a consultant. When has he ever seen a client give such a burden to a consultant?

"What? Is there a problem?" Yang Huan asked with a smile.

Thomas Lake looked around and found that many people were also surprised, but when he looked at Cash Harris, the football investment expert from the City of London, he was smiling and seemed to be showing some encouragement.

This immediately made him feel an unprecedented challenge.

He chose to leave Allianz Group and later PricewaterhouseCoopers because he had become familiar with these companies and felt that there was no challenge at all. He felt that he could not create his own value in such a large company.

Even now, he has become a senior elite in Deutsche Bank, the largest bank in Germany, but after staying there for a long time, he still feels unsatisfied because he is simply unable to make decisions on many things.

This made him feel very depressed and repressed.

But now, a challenging case is placed before him.

The acquisition of Hamburg completed an unprecedented case of helping foreign investors acquire a Bundesliga team!

More importantly, his client this time was none other than Yang Huan!

A legendary figure who is always creating miracles!

This made him feel excited and his blood boiled!

So, he took a deep breath and nodded, “No, Master Huan, no problem, I promise!”

After hearing this, Yang Huan also laughed. For the time being, he just wanted to be Thomas Lake's client.

As for the future, if he does a good job, Yang Huan will consider further development.

"Dietmar, you are responsible for assisting Thomas, is there any problem?" Yang Huan asked Beiersdorf again.

The latter also shook his head. If you ask him about football, about signings and team building, he is an expert.

But when it comes to capital operation, he is a complete layman!

"Very good, I hope your negotiations can be conducted in secret this time!"

When Yang Huan said this, he once again gave a serious reminder.

"Money is not a problem, but I hope to get as many shares as possible during the first negotiation. You should understand what I mean!"

Thomas Recke and Dietmar Beiersdorf both nodded.

They understand!