Chapter 312 - 305: Special Clause

"How are you feeling about it?"

Raiola asked with concern after they returned to the house in Oude Kerk.

At a time like this, even his roommate Vermaelen had tactfully gone across the way to visit Maicon, leaving just Yang Yang and Raiola in the living room.

"I could feel their sincerity, and I can tell Ronald Koeman really wants me to stay."

It was a pure gut feeling, something Yang Yang could see in Ronald Koeman’s eyes.

Raiola wasn’t surprised. It would have been truly strange if Koeman *didn’t* want to keep Yang Yang.

"Mino, give me your analysis," Yang Yang said, looking at the portly Italian.

Raiola nodded and mulled it over with a frown for a moment before speaking.

"I have to say, your situation right now is quite tricky. The main reason is that this past season you played in the UEFA Cup, not the Champions League. If you had shown, say, seventy percent of your UEFA Cup performance in the Champions League—not even all of it—I believe the top-tier clubs would be scrambling to buy you."

Yang Yang frowned. "Don’t they want me now?"

"They do," Raiola confirmed with a nod. "But they mostly see you as an eighteen-year-old rookie. If they buy you, they won’t necessarily give you a starting position. They’re more likely to view you as a talent reserve for the next few years. Take Real Madrid, for example."

"The Galaxy Battleship really does want to buy you, but have you thought about it? Their front line has Zidane on the left, Raul in the center, and Figo on the right. Is there a place for you on that team? Real Madrid’s thinking is simple: these superstars are getting old. They want to buy you now so you can gradually take over. But in the meantime, you’ll have to be patient and endure some time on the sidelines."

"Besides, I have reliable information that complaints about Florentino are growing louder within Real Madrid’s management. That team’s locker room is a mess. If Florentino falls, who knows what the situation will be like afterward?"

"Right now, you’re the cornerstone for Ajax. For a mid-table team in the Four Major Leagues, you’d also be a key player. But at Real Madrid, no one will pay you any special attention because you don’t carry enough weight yet."

"And from what I know, besides you, Real Madrid also wants to get Robinho from Santos. He’s also a target for Barcelona and Chelsea. What’s more, Real Madrid’s current head coach, Luxembourg, is a Brazilian."

Yang Yang understood what Raiola was getting at. These were all things he needed to consider.

To put it simply, Yang Yang’s stock just wasn’t high enough yet.

This was true for Real Madrid, and it was the same for Barcelona.

At Camp Nou, Ronaldinho was the untouchable core of the team. On the right wing, they had Jouli. And rumor has it Barcelona also wants to buy Robinho and Henry. If Yang Yang went to that team, would he get the starting spot he wants?

Without a starting position, where would he get the match experience he needed to develop?

Was he supposed to just wither away on the bench, waiting, like Van der Vaart?

"Chelsea’s situation is similar. They want to buy you to compete with Robben and Duff. Mourinho won’t promise you a starting position. And to be honest, I’m not optimistic about your development under Mourinho."

"Manchester United is currently mired in management conflicts and a takeover saga. Arsenal and Liverpool don’t have the money. The Serie A teams aren’t a good fit for you right now. The Bundesliga is decent, but Bayern Munich isn’t going to shell out that much money for you either."

Hearing this, Yang Yang more or less understood Raiola’s analysis.

"So you mean I should stay at Ajax for another season?"

Raiola nodded. "For now, it’s the best option."

Yang Yang wasn’t particularly disappointed. He had been on the fence anyway, and after hearing Raiola’s analysis, he agreed that staying at Ajax was an acceptable and relatively safe choice.

"Of course, this is just my current judgment. The transfer market changes in an instant; who knows what will happen tomorrow?" Raiola didn’t dare to make a final conclusion. "But one thing I can be sure of is that next year is a World Cup year. And every World Cup is followed by major moves in the transfer market."

Now that Raiola mentioned it, Yang Yang became even more cautious.

Next year was a World Cup year. He needed game time to maintain his form.

The Chinese Team already had three consecutive wins in their qualifying group stage. They had two more matches coming up soon. As long as they won both, they would secure their spot in advance. Then, Yang Yang would be heading to the first World Cup of his career.

He was filled with anticipation for it.

It wasn’t that he was desperate to achieve any particular result. It was mainly about the experience. Even just to feel the atmosphere of those games would be enough to leave him with no regrets for the rest of his life.

"I’ll proceed in two steps," Raiola said, laying out his plan. "On one hand, I’ll keep in contact with other clubs. If a suitable team comes up, I’ll notify you immediately. On the other hand, I’ll continue talks with Ajax. However, there is something I think you should consider."

"Let’s hear it."

"Even if we do decide to renew with Ajax, I recommend you add a special clause."

"What kind of clause?"

"Starting next summer, if any team is willing to pay a certain transfer fee for you, Ajax must release you unconditionally."

Yang Yang was no stranger to this type of clause.

Last season, players like Talabesi, Van der Vaart, and Ibrahimovic had similar clauses in their contracts. The amounts weren’t considered exceptionally high; Van der Vaart and Ibrahimovic’s were set at 25 million euros, and Talabesi’s was 20 million euros. In the current European Football scene, those were already considered very good prices.

Seeing Yang Yang’s confused expression, Raiola quickly explained, "The benefit of a clause like this is that it protects your personal interests. If a team genuinely wants to buy you, Ajax can’t just jack up the price on a whim. As long as the offer reaches a certain amount, you’ll have more options."

"In the transfer market, options mean negotiation power. They mean leverage. That’s why players on a free transfer often command exceptionally high salaries. I even think it would be worth making some compromises on salary to secure this clause," Raiola analyzed.

He said "compromises," but knowing the portly Italian’s personality, he probably didn’t give a damn about the 20 thousand euros weekly salary Ajax offered. He would definitely negotiate a much higher price than that.

At the very least, Yang Yang’s salary would absolutely be the highest on the team.

Yang Yang also felt that what Raiola said made a lot of sense. Besides, he had always been someone who liked to keep control in his own hands. If he could really get a clause like that, it would be a form of protection for himself.

"Alright, I authorize you to negotiate that part," Yang Yang said, nodding in agreement after a moment’s thought.

"Don’t you worry. We’ll stick to the old routine: you give your all on the pitch, and I’ll get you a satisfactory deal at the negotiating table. I will absolutely not let you get the short end of the stick," Raiola said with complete confidence.

The situation now was that as long as Yang Yang didn’t set any obstacles regarding playing opportunities, he could transfer away in a heartbeat. Meanwhile, Ajax was doing everything in its power to keep him. The initiative was in Yang Yang’s hands.

Therefore, for Raiola, this summer’s negotiations were something he was even more confident about than last summer’s.

......

......

After they reached an agreement, Raiola left Amsterdam that afternoon.

In the afternoon, Yang Yang first paid a visit to Van Gaal.

The Alkmaar head coach didn’t seem to be in high spirits, mainly because after leading for most of the season, his team ended up finishing a mere third. It was indeed quite a disappointment.

More importantly, the team’s center-forward, Robin Nellis, had decided to leave, which would create a huge problem for Alkmaar’s attack in the new season. Van Gaal was currently wracking his brain over signing a new one.

In fact, it wasn’t that Alkmaar had no center-forwards. The twenty-two-year-old Belgian striker, Stein Heyhems, had performed decently over the past season, but Van Gaal clearly felt he wasn’t up to the task.

Yang Yang wasn’t an expert on player recruitment, so he couldn’t offer any advice.

The main reason for his visit to Van Gaal was to ask for his opinion on his own situation this summer.

Old Van strongly agreed with Raiola’s judgment. He believed that if Yang Yang transferred now, he wouldn’t have enough negotiating leverage. It would be best to push himself harder and try to make a mark in the Champions League next season. That would naturally attract the attention of Europe’s giants.

"Having them come knocking on your door is much more advantageous than having your agent shop you around, isn’t it?" Van Gaal asked with a smile. "Besides, you’re only eighteen. Even if you stay at Ajax for another year, it will only make you more mature and even better. Why are you in such a hurry to leave this year?"

After a pause, Van Gaal added, "At the start of the season, I predicted that Eindhoven would be the strongest team in the Eredivisie this season. But based on the second half of the season, I don’t think Ajax is necessarily weaker than them. If they can strengthen their midfield with new signings, I believe they can definitely suppress Eindhoven. Then they’ll be competitive in the Champions League as well."

As long as Ajax performed well in the Champions League, and as their star player, Yang Yang delivered outstanding performances, would he still need to worry about not getting noticed by Europe’s giants?

"So, the most important thing for you right now isn’t to worry about where you’re going, but to continue improving your own abilities."

Yang Yang nodded. "I know. I’ve already hired a personal coach for myself. Even during the offseason, I absolutely won’t slack off."

Van Gaal wasn’t worried about that at all, because Yang Yang was the hardest-working and most diligent player he had ever seen.

After bidding farewell to Van Gaal, Yang Yang made a special trip to Almere.

He was returning to China tomorrow, and his uncle Shen Ming and his aunt had asked him to take some things back for his cousin, Shen Yuzhu.

That evening, Yang Yang stayed in Almere for dinner. Afterward, he met up with John Reep, Nick, and other old acquaintances from his Almere days, which naturally led to some nostalgic sighs.

In just two short years, Almere still hadn’t managed to get promoted to the Eerste Divisie, yet Yang Yang had already made a name for himself across European Football.