Chapter 628: Bold Moves
After the summer matches ended, Wang Feng finally had the opportunity to relax and enjoy the holiday with his family. Due to Real Madrid's business plans in China this year, and with the Spanish Super Cup also held in China, the club approved his request to stay in the country and wait to rejoin the team.
During this period, besides handling commercial activities and group business, the Chinese superstar mainly traveled around with his family to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Little Haoxin, like his sister Suyao in the past, was curious about everything, often looking around with wide eyes in his parents' arms. The two children had a great time playing together.
Returning to Suzhou and Hangzhou, Lu Yao and Wang Feng exchanged knowing smiles, recalling the scenes of their love years ago. Time flies, but their feelings haven't faded. On the contrary, they've become even stronger, like aged wine.
While the players were on vacation, major clubs began their transfer work in full swing. Real Madrid sought to retain their current squad while increasing their efforts in signing new players. They first addressed contract renewals for players like Iguain and Di Maria.
The only change in the current squad was the transfer of backup defender Albiol to Napoli for 12 million euros. Khedira's contract expired, and he joined Monaco as a free agent, while young talent Denis Cheryshev was loaned to Sevilla. No other players underwent changes.
The lack of depth in the midfield and defense during the previous season was a lesson for the club. Therefore, they first brought back Carvajal from Leverkusen for 6.5 million euros.
The 21-year-old Spanish defender, a product of Real Madrid's youth academy, had impressed greatly during his season in the Bundesliga, prompting the club to exercise their buy-back option decisively.
They also finalized the purchase of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro from Sao Paulo for 6 million euros. After half a season in the Spanish second division with the B team, Casemiro proved his worth.
Bringing back Isco from Malaga was something the management had decided on early, but the negotiation process went smoother than expected.
Due to Malaga's deep financial crisis and the player's strong desire, Real Madrid managed to bring him in for just 30 million euros.
This transfer was definitely value for money. Given Isco's outstanding performance last season, several Premier League clubs were interested in signing him for a higher price. However, the Spanish youngster expressed his desire in an interview, saying, "It has always been my dream to play for Real Madrid, to play alongside the greatest players at the greatest club."
When the transfer was officially completed, Wang Feng welcomed Isco on social media, saying, "Welcome Isco to the Bernabeu! Real Madrid is a stage that attracts worldwide attention and the best platform to showcase your talents. You will surely shine here!"
As for the goalkeeper position, the club faced difficulties in recruiting. Casillas' form had gradually declined last season, especially after his mistakes in the Champions League final, prompting the need for a successor.
Florentino Perez and the board preferred Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea. Despite his young age, he had shown remarkable stability. Being Spanish, he was undoubtedly the next main goalkeeper for the national team, making him a perfect fit in all aspects.
However, Manchester United CEO David Gill explicitly stated that De Gea was not for sale, regardless of the offer. Negotiations never even began.
The second choice was Thibaut Courtois, who was on loan at Atletico Madrid from Chelsea. In the past La Liga season, he kept 20 clean sheets, setting a new record for consecutive clean sheets in the club's history, and won La Liga's Best Goalkeeper and Zamora awards.
Initially, Jose Mourinho, then Chelsea's coach, favored his former protege Petr Cech, leaving Courtois with no chance. Thus, he threatened to leave if not given the starting position upon his return.
Seeing Courtois perform so well and being only 21 years old, ten years younger than Cech, wasn't he the most suitable successor? Therefore, they rejected offers from several clubs, including Real Madrid, and made strong efforts to keep Courtois.
To appease the player, Chelsea specifically negotiated with Atletico Madrid, promising him a salary increase, another year on loan, and guaranteed starting position upon his return. With Atletico's rise and a chance to compete in the high-level Champions League, Courtois thought it over and ultimately chose to stay.
The failure of two consecutive deals left Real Madrid deeply disappointed. Good goalkeepers were already scarce in football, and with no other options, the coaching staff reluctantly decided to continue relying on Casillas for the time being, while promoting talented youngster Jesus from the B team as a precaution.
Regarding the successor to Wang Feng's era in the forward line, Real Madrid approached the matter with extreme caution. Besides being able to lead the team, they had to consider various issues during the transition period between old and new.
Currently, world football presented a situation of one superpower and multiple strong contenders. The capital club's capital to stand above all other clubs lay in the Chinese superstar. His position was unshakeable.
Therefore, regardless of how the team rebuilt through transfers, it would always revolve around Wang Feng. Rejecting Cristiano Ronaldo's olive branch was also within reason. After all, the Portuguese's personality was too dominant, and conflicts in the dressing room were inevitable.
Players who had caught Real Madrid's eye included Liverpool's Suarez, Tottenham's Gareth Bale, Dortmund's Lewandowski, Manchester City's Aguero, and Atletico's Falcao, among others.
The Argentine star showed more interest in joining Real Madrid, but Manchester City was unwilling to let go. Moreover, they had sufficient financial support and occasionally thought of poaching Real Madrid's players.
After lengthy negotiations and multiple rounds of bargaining, the deal was officially finalized just before the transfer window closed. Real Madrid paid 91 million euros to bring the Welshman back to the Bernabeu, making it the highest transfer fee in the team's history after Wang Feng!
"I am very honored to be part of Real Madrid and to come to this dream stage," Bale said at the press conference. "This is my dream stage, as well as the dream stage for many players."
"I will not disappoint the club and the fans' expectations and will work with the great Wang to create glory for the team!"
As the captain of Real Madrid and the Chinese superstar, Wang Feng also attended the signing ceremony. He expressed great expectations for the partnership between the two, saying, "We will form the most efficient attacking combination!"
This was not just empty talk. According to analysis by Kicker, with Wang Feng's passing ability and Bale's explosive speed, Real Madrid would become the most terrifying attacking machine!
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