Chapter 799 Transfer Talks
Chapter 799: Chapter 799 Transfer Talks
If you’re enjoying the story, consider voting to show your support. Feel free to join me on Discord to chat and share your thoughts: https://discord.gg/hTQJtj2K9U.
#More than 10 Chapters ahead on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TrikoRex. If you have a moment, leaving a review would mean a lot to me and help me see who’s interested in the story’s future.
~~~
[10-06-2021 | BayArena, Leverkusen | 10:45 CET]
While the European championship heated up as the start date approached, clubs all over Europe also geared up for war. Knowing that fans were set to return next season, manpower adjustment and reinforcement were necessary. Most clubs had varying amounts of debt suffered due to COVID and needed to plan accordingly.
In the midst of this turmoil, a single Bundesliga club was considered good or above average just two years ago. Sweeping all the trophies in your path and overcoming Pep Guardiola’s Man City in the UCL final brought attention. A decent Champions League run can be considered luck, but winning had to be skill, and for teams looking to reinforce with cost-effective players, they were the perfect Target.
Thus, while his players and accompanying staff went on holiday, Simon Rolfes, the Leverkusen Sporting Director, was busy at work. The moment they had officially ended the 2020/21 season they his phone had been ringing non-stop. Every team imaginable seemed to be interested in one or two players of his team, ready to make him an offer.
(knock knock knock,) The knocking at the door snapped him out of his lamentation; a moment later, his personal assistant came in, holding a steaming cup of coffee. "Your espresso, Herr Rolfes," she said, setting it down carefully on the coaster beside his keyboard. "Double shot, as requested."
"Bless you, Anke." Simon reached for it gratefully, the warmth seeping into his fingers as he wrapped both hands around the small cup. "What time is the next call?"
"Eleven-fifteen with Monchi from Sevilla. He’s been calling about Demirbay and Aránguiz." She glanced down at her tablet, scrolling through the day’s schedule. "Then at noon you have a video conference with Tuchel and Marina Granovskaia. Chelsea wants to discuss multiple players, but I suspect we know where the conversation will steer."
Simon sipped the espresso, letting the bitter heat settle his nerves. "And after that?"
"Lunch with Chairman Baumann in the executive dining room. He says it’s informal, but he sent over a briefing document this morning, so make of that what you will."
"Of course he did," Simon muttered, knowing that the Bayer chairman, Werner Baumann, had enjoyed the team’s performance over the past two years. But he was also a businessman and knew that the current state was the peak time to cash out some of the Leverkusen portfolio. "Let’s hope he doesn’t want a wholesale."
"I doubt he will want that, at least he will want to keep the future using the money from transfers to reinforce and earn back some of the investments," Anke said after studying his complicated expression, as she hesitated to say more. "What else?" he tierdly prompted.
"Pérez’s office called again. They are pushing for a meeting before the end of the week." She said to organise a messy stack of documents at the edge of the desk. "I scheduled it for Saturday on the 12th, also Lisa Rex will be coming in at 13:00 to discuss her son’s transfer plans."
Simon closed his eyes briefly, feeling more stressed about meeting Mrs Rex than the living legend that was Florentino Pérez. Her decision could derail or pressure the prospective transfer of the biggest departure in the club’s history. He had no intention of keeping him for another season after Rakim agreed last year to extend his contract, just to give them a chance to secure a reasonable transfer fee.
Inwardly, he and everyone in the organisation wished to retain him for another season, milking another Bundesliga campaign and perhaps another Champions League run, but the boy had outgrown them. Leverkusen had been good to him, and he had to them as well, but they were a stepping stone, not a destination. Everyone in the building knew it, even if no one wanted to say it out loud.
"Has she indicated what direction they’re leaning?" Simon asked, opening his eyes to look at Anke.
"Not officially," she replied, her tone diplomatic. "But the rumour mill suggests they are leaning toward the Premier League and Laliga. Specific teams haven’t been mentioned from their camp"
"That’s good," he muttered, his fingers instinctively tapping his desk. "The gamble against a release clause will pay off if they don’t have a team narrow down on."
~~~
[10-06-2021 | BayArena, Leverkusen | 13:15 CET]
"Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, shall we talk business?" Lisa calmly said, folding her legs as she adjusted her posture on the sofa. "I’m sure you will want to get this out of the way so you can structure your summer plans."
"Indeed, my phone has been ringing nonstop since the season ended," Rolfes commented helplessly, placing down his cup of tea on the coffee table. "I am sure you, too, have been receiving varying offers from clubs trying to gauge your interest. We, as an organisation, are thankful for all that Rakim has done for us, so we would like to make sure that his next destination makes sense for him as it does for us financially."
"I understand," She responded with a light smile. "We have also enjoyed our time here and want our move to help the club."
"Good, so can you tell me what Clubs Rakim is interested in?" He asked, leaning forward slightly in interest.
"Honestly, Simon, we haven’t narrowed it down to a specific club yet," she said carefully. "Rakim wants to focus on the Euros, and I’ve insisted he not think about the transfer until after the tournament. What I can tell you is that we’re not entertaining everyone. The Bundesliga is off the table—he doesn’t want to face you guys twice a season after everything you’ve built together."
Rolfes nodded slowly, taking that in. It was a small mercy, at least. The thought of Rakim in Bayern colours had haunted his nightmares for weeks. "That’s appreciated. And rest assured, we wouldn’t have negotiated with them either. After everything he’s done for this club, sending him to Munich would feel like a betrayal."
"Glad we agree on that." Lisa allowed herself a small smile. "As for the others, we’ve received serious approaches from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, PSG, Manchester United, and Chelsea. A few others are sniffing around, but those are the ones with both the financial muscle and the sporting project to interest us."
"That’s a strong shortlist," Rolfes commented, mentally calculating which of those clubs were most likely to meet his asking price. "Any clear front-runners?"
"Not yet," Lisa replied honestly. "Each has strengths, but I know that my son prefers the Premier League, which is more competitive, so any team in the top six except Man United would be ideal."
Her words seemed to pique his interest, knowing that any player would jump at the chance to play for either of the Spanish giants or the English Reds. "May I ask why not Man United and the Laliga?"
She seemed to frown at his words, her brows visibly knitting together before she responded. "Since you run a club, you should know better than I, but in all honesty, do you see Man United, which lacks a clear front staff vision, going anywhere. Plus, they have been courting Sancho for the past few years, looking for the next English superstar."
Rolfes nodded slowly, conceding the point with a thoughtful tilt of his head. Manchester United had been a sleeping giant for the better part of a decade now, lurching from one expensive rebuild to another without ever quite finding its footing. Solskjær’s job security was the subject of constant speculation, and the boardroom dynamics under the Glazers were hardly inspiring for a player whose career was on the rise and needed immediate impact to maintain the momentum.
"Honestly? Both Madrid and Barcelona are houses with cracks in the foundation." Lisa’s tone was matter-of-fact, the way someone discussed a property they’d already decided not to buy. "Barcelona’s finances are a disaster—everyone in the industry knows it. They can barely register the players they already have, let alone afford what you’d ask for, Rakim. And even if they somehow scraped together the fee, what’s the project? Messi may or may not be there next month, Koeman’s seat is hot, and they’re rebuilding without a clear identity."
"And Madrid?"
"Madrid is a different problem. Florentino wants Galácticos, and Rakim would absolutely be one of those." She paused, considering her next words carefully. "But Zidane just left, and they’ve brought back Ancelotti, and while my son would love to play for him, as that had been a major hang-up before his move here, Madrid is also a powderkeg. He doesn’t fear the performance aspect, but how Ronaldo was treated during his exit leaves a bad taste."
Rolfes hid a small smile behind his cup, recognising when a parent’s protectiveness aligned with shrewd business instinct. Lisa Rex was doing both at once, and doing it well. "So Premier League it is," he said. "City, Chelsea, or one of the others."
"The frontrunners for us are..."
.
.
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED...