Chapter 119: How much does it cost to buy him ?
At the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, a high-profile match was unfolding, the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, featuring the clash between Inter Milan and AC Milan.
After Ancelotti took over AC Milan, he made significant tactical adjustments to the team, allowing attacking talents like Ruiz Costa, Shevchenko, and Inzaghi to fully unleash their potential.
As a result, AC Milan's performance improved, securing four consecutive victories after losing to Inter Milan, firmly holding onto fourth place in the league.
In the 23rd minute of the match, Castolo assisted Shevchenko to break the deadlock for AC Milan.
Just three minutes later, Inter Milan launched an attack on the left flank. Di Biagio dribbled the ball near the goal line and delivered a diagonal pass into the penalty area.
The ball had great power, crossing directly to the right side near the center, where there were five AC Milan defenders in the penalty area, but only Wang Feng from Inter Milan in support.
Wang Feng held off Serginho behind him and pushed against him, seizing the opportunity before Maldini could double-team him. He lifted his foot to shoot fiercely, and although goalkeeper Abbiati made a flying save, he was a fraction too slow.
"The ball's in! Goooooooal! Inter Milan equalizes the score to 1-1! Wang Feng scores for Inter Milan again!"
"The camera focuses on AC Milan defender Serginho, who now looks full of frustration, as if wondering how he lost to Wang Feng in the duel."
"This Brazilian seems much stronger than Wang Feng, but unexpectedly found himself at a disadvantage in the confrontation. This shows how robust and powerful Wang Feng is beneath his jersey."
AC Milan fans in the stands booed loudly, while Inter Milan fans cheered vigorously. On the coaching bench, Ancelotti frowned, realizing that dealing with Wang Feng had become a daunting task for him.
With no better options, Ancelotti could only instruct Maldini to assist Serginho in tightly marking Wang Feng. He couldn't help but feel regretful. If he had taken charge of AC Milan at the beginning of the season, he would have tried to sign Wang Feng. Regardless of calculations, Wang Feng's cost-effectiveness was very high.
After being equalized, AC Milan launched a fierce attack. Although they shared the same home ground with Inter Milan, in terms of the competition format, this match was their home game. Therefore, Inter Milan's goal just now counted as an away goal, which was unfavorable for AC Milan.
Inter Milan's defense was under immense pressure, with even Wang Feng and Vieri retreating to midfield to help defend.
Near the end of the first half, Inter Milan had another excellent opportunity. They launched a counterattack after winning the ball in their own half. Di Biagio quickly dribbled down the left flank, with Wang Feng rushing forward.
As soon as they crossed the halfway line, Di Biagio sent a long diagonal pass with his left foot. The ball curved across the pitch, surpassing Maldini at the near post and accurately reaching Wang Feng in the center.
At this moment, Maldini and Serginho were closing in from both sides, trying to surround him. However, Wang Feng didn't stop after receiving the ball. Instead, he poked it forward and accelerated past the defensive line.
Wang Feng's speed was extremely fast. The 34-year-old Maldini and 31-year-old Serginho couldn't catch up with him. He successfully reached the edge of the penalty area with the ball, forming a one-on-one situation against the goalkeeper Abbiati.
Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, Wang Feng feinted past him with a body feint, then easily tapped the ball into the empty net.
"Goooooooal!! Wang Feng scores his second goal!"
"This is his 16th goal in the Europa League. He's simply unstoppable! He won the top scorer title in the Europa League last season. Could he retain this honor this season?"
After scoring, Wang Feng went to celebrate with the Inter Milan fans in the stands, waving his arms to signal them to celebrate with him. The teammates who rushed over afterwards hugged him tightly.
In the luxurious box in the middle of the stands, AC Milan president Berlusconi looked grimly at the confident young man on the field, feeling extremely frustrated.
Beside him was the club manager Stuart Conde, who had lost his usual dignity and was anxiously waiting for reprimand.
Although it was Trimboli's idea not to sign Wang Feng, he accepted it, and now, their city rivals Inter Milan had acquired this gem, which was undoubtedly Conde's dereliction of duty.
After a long silence, Berlusconi slowly said, "How much money do we need to buy Wang Feng now?"
Conde, with sweat dripping from his forehead, swallowed and said, "According to current market estimates, Wang Feng's value should be around 40 million euros because he hasn't participated in the top European competition, the Champions League, yet."
"Otherwise, his value would probably increase even more."
"Is there a possibility of negotiation?"
"It's like this, Mr. Berlusconi. Inter Milan will definitely not choose to sell Wang Feng at this time, especially not to us."
"If we were to pay his release clause, it would cost us 200 million euros. Inter Milan is very tight on this matter."
Berlusconi sneered and said, "Really? Horacio Bom, Inter Milan's technical director, I remember he used to be a nobody, right? Even a nobody has more foresight than our experienced team manager. He just spent 20 million euros and snatched the gem. It's really regrettable."
Conde said with a bitter face, "We have a better candidate, Mr. Berlusconi. He's also a young genius who can rival Wang Feng and become our future core."
"Oh, who are you talking about?"
"His name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, a 20-year-old Brazilian forward known as Kaka."
"In the 2001 season, he made 27 appearances for Sao Paulo in Brazil, scoring 17 goals, winning the Brazilian League's Best Player and South America's Best Newcomer of the Year."
Berlusconi frowned and said, "It doesn't sound as impressive as Wang Feng, does it? And he hasn't played in Europe yet."
Conde continued, "He's definitely not as good as Wang Feng now, but with our training, he'll definitely grow rapidly. Do you know Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain? He hadn't played in a European league before, but he had a back-and-forth battle with Wang Feng in the Europa League."
"Kaka is a completely comparable talent to Ronaldinho, and with our training level much higher than Paris, I believe he will perform even better."
"Well, how much do you expect it would cost to get this talented player?"
"At the moment, several clubs are interested in him, so his value is soaring. However, the total price shouldn't exceed 9 million euros."
"Okay, then get him. If he still can't suppress Wang Feng and Inter Milan, your career will be over." Berlusconi said without hesitation.
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