Chapter 75: Where to go ?
When the entire Genk team arrived at Brussels Airport in Belgium, reporters who had already received wind of the news swarmed them. Their main concern was Wang Feng's next move.
In order to avoid being harassed by reporters, team manager Bill Albert had anticipated this and arranged for Wang Feng to quietly leave from the internal parking lot, leaving the besieging reporters empty-handed.
Inside the car, Wang Feng's agent, Francisco Balmond, was briefing him on the current situation: "Wang, the situation is a bit complicated now. Many top clubs from the top five leagues are still in a wait-and-see attitude."
"Although you have shone on the Europa League stage and even defeated Liverpool, compared to the Champions League, the level of competition in the Europa League is still slightly inferior."
"The work permit issue in the Premier League has not been resolved, so there's no need to consider it. Even if you sign with one of those teams, you can only be loaned to play in Ligue 1 or even worse, the Portuguese Primeira Liga, which does not align with your career plans."
"Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, the giants of La Liga, have not contacted me yet, so there seems to be no urgent desire to buy you. However, this season's La Liga runners-up Deportivo La Coruna and third-placed Mallorca are interested in bringing you in. They will both participate in the Champions League next season. Deportivo La Coruna has offered 13 million euros to Genk, while Mallorca has not made an offer yet."
"In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich is still the most interested in you, with an offer of 15 million euros. They have just won the Champions League, so it seems like a good choice."
"But Bayern's frontline lineup is very strong, with players like Giovane Elber from Brazil, Paulo Sergio, German striker Carsten Jancker, and Austrian forward Alexander Zickler, so if you go there, you'll have to compete with them."
Balmond continued, "As long as your performance is outstanding enough, Bayern will surely consider you as a core player in the future, but you'll need to endure loneliness and hone your skills in the team for a few more years."
"If you want to be immediately impactful, Schalke 04 and Bayer Leverkusen would be good choices. They will both participate in the Champions League next season."
"Schalke 04's offer is the same as Deportivo La Coruna's. More importantly, they have assured me that they will build the team around you as the attacking core, it seems that your performances in the Europa League have left a deep impression on the club's top management."
"As for Serie A, only Inter Milan has communicated with me. Other teams seem uninterested in you, which is normal considering Serie A's tactical and competitive level, which is currently the highest in Europe. I wouldn't recommend you to go there."
"As for Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain has officially given up on signing you because their finances can no longer support your current valuation. Other teams like Lyon and Marseille haven't offered high prices either, making them unable to compete with the levels of Bayern and Deportivo."
"The champions of the Primeira Liga and Eredivisie have also contacted me. Although they have Champions League qualifications, they currently do not have the capital to compete for the title, and their exposure is far inferior to that of the top five leagues. I suggest not to choose them, even if you get the status of an absolute core player."
Wang Feng probably understood the current situation and had a comprehensive understanding of his own positioning. Over the past few days, helping the team make history by winning both the league championship and the Europa League. The Belgian media had almost praised him to the skies, and even he himself thought that top clubs would be clamoring for him.
But he hadn't expected that most clubs were still watching from the sidelines. Wang Feng smiled bitterly and said, "Bayern seems to be the most prestigious, offering the highest transfer fee, but I really don't want to sit on the bench just because I'm too young and endure a few years of hardship before getting a chance."
"In that case, only Deportivo La Coruna and Schalke 04 seem suitable for you. I'll talk to them about the details. I'm more inclined to Deportivo. They won the La Liga title in the 99-00 season and have been in contention for the title for a long time this season. They have great momentum and are poised to replace Real Madrid and Barcelona." Balmond introduced.
"As for Schalke 04, they always seem to be at a disadvantage against Bayern. The main reason is the gap in the entire lineup. Whether your addition can change the situation remains to be seen."
Wang Feng nodded and said, "I agree with your idea. Let's focus on talking to Deportivo La Coruna then. The 13 million euro transfer fee should satisfy the club's top management."
"Although the club's top management promised me the freedom to choose, I can't make it too difficult for them."
The next steps were left to Balmond to negotiate the specific salary details with Deportivo's management.
Wang Feng, who had shone in the Europa League, also attracted the attention of sports giants Nike and Adidas. They approached Balmond, wanting to sign an endorsement contract.
Adidas prepared a 7-year, 3.5 million euro endorsement contract for Wang Feng, while Nike was more generous, offering a 10-year, 8 million euro contract.
At the same time, Nike promised that if Wang Feng could maintain his high level of performance, they would design unique shoe styles for him in the future.
At first hearing 8 million euros, Wang Feng's eyes widened. He tried to calculate it in his head. If he signed this contract, wouldn't it mean becoming a millionaire? Seeing Wang Feng's greedy look, Balmond shook his head helplessly. "The value of the contract proposed by Nike is already quite low among football stars, not to mention basketball stars."
"The reason why Nike can offer a slightly higher contract than Adidas is because they see the vast Chinese market behind you."
"The Chinese market?" Wang Feng asked in confusion.
"Yes, since the reform and opening up, China's economy has been developing rapidly, with great market potential. Nike wants to expand its brand influence by leveraging your identity as a Chinese player."
Zhao Haiyang once said that Wang Feng was loved by many fans in China, but he never thought that one day he would have such influence, which made him feel heavy-hearted.
Balmond then said, "But I think we should renegotiate a contract with them. The duration of this contract is too long. Wang, you haven't fully understood your own development potential and commercial value yet."
"In my opinion, the first contract should be signed for a maximum of three years, and we can make some concessions in terms of price. When we continue to sign contracts in the future, the value will definitely increase exponentially."
Although Wang Feng was tempted by the 8 million euros, he still understood that Balmond was doing this for his own good, so he said, "You are the professional, I trust your judgment, I'll leave everything to you."
Balmond nodded. Whether for himself or for Wang Feng, he would do his best.
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