The successive rejections by two clubs made Barcelona realize that it is not so easy to buy the player they want.

So, they came up with traditional art - private contact with players, starting with players!

As long as they can convince the players to join the team, it will be much easier for them to negotiate with the opposing team.

If the player himself is very desperate to join Barcelona, they can even bargain.

When you meet the kind of person who has a dream, it is not impossible for him to pay the transfer fee out of his own pocket.

It's just that today is different from the past, and Barcelona's attractiveness is far less than before.

And many of the players they poached back at the beginning were from their own youth training, such as Pique and Xiaofa.

However, none of the people they are looking at now were born in the La Masia Academy.

Therefore, the trick of playing the emotional card is a little difficult to use.

If you want to attract these people to join, you need to promise them better treatment, higher status in the team and other tangible and tangible benefits.

It's just that this kind of condition is difficult for Barcelona to give.

Most of these people who are favored by them are the top names of their respective clubs, and once they transfer to Barcelona, the status of the team will inevitably be below Messi, and it is impossible to replace Messi's position in Barcelona.

Not everyone is willing to give others a small hand, even if the other party is a football king-level existence.

The reason why Neymar left, in addition to the more favorable treatment offered by Grand Paris, is also a very important reason - he feels that he has been living in the shadow of Messi at Barcelona and has not been taken seriously by the club, fans and media.

This made the arrogant Neymar a little dissatisfied, so he chose to run away to become the boss in Paris to prove himself.

And there are not a few people who have Neymar's thoughts, especially those young players who are very strong, all of them are arrogant and may not be willing to come to Barcelona to suffer this grievance.

As a result, Barcelona's strategy failed completely.

After some contact, few people are willing to come to Barcelona.

Not only did the contact with the players not go well, but even the contact with the opposing club did not have good news.

The major teams seem to have formed a consensus, and they all regard Barcelona as the wronged leader, eyeing the transfer fee of nearly 200 million euros in their hands.

The money was made by selling Neymar before, but now it seems that they can't hold it back.

……

"Barcelona's recruitment work seems to be going very well, huh?"

Lin Quan and Pep Guardiola, who are on vacation in Barcelona, have been paying attention to Barcelona's actions in the transfer market during this year's winter break.

The two had guessed that Barcelona would make a big move before, but they didn't expect them to be so impatient.

Isn't it clear that the offer was submitted at the beginning of the transfer period to tell other clubs that Barça's eagerness to buy people reassures them to boldly bid a high price to kill people?

'Well, it's a bit too rushed, it's too early, and they're buying players who are very important for teams that are aiming for a league and a Champions League place, and they won't sell the core of the squad easily.

Therefore, unless Barcelona makes an extremely high offer and makes up for the other party with a premium well above the market price, it is impossible for the other party to agree to sell. ”

If Barcelona are interested in some young demons with potential, then it is better to say that these people are not so important to the team, and losing them will not have much impact on the team's record.

But Barcelona is looking at the core of each team, and they are all attacking cores.

If this really sells the offensive core, the results of these teams in the second half of the season will inevitably be greatly affected.

So they will definitely be apprehensive and will not nod easily.

"So, how short-sighted Bayern's top management was at the beginning, and they actually sold Kroos during the winter break, just thinking about it can make me angry!"

Pep Guardiola hated itchy, and in his first season at Bayern, he was stabbed in the back by the club.

The other party sold Kroos without his consent for the 50 million euros offered by Manchester City.

This caught Pep Guardiola off guard and was a big reason for his team's defeat in the Champions League.

Although Kroos is not yet at the heart of the team's attack, his importance to the team is undeniable.

Without him, Bayern's midfield strength has been greatly affected.

For Bayern with deep roots, the loss of a non-core Kroos has had such a significant impact, let alone for other teams?

"Hehe, so you actually have to thank those people at Bayern, otherwise, our Manchester City's midfield strength would not be as strong as it is now."

Lin Quan heard Guardiola's words and quipped.

Pep Guardiola also laughed: "That's thanks to the bastards of Hoeness!" ”

……

Compared to Barcelona, Manchester City's transfer during the winter break is much simpler.

What they have to do during the winter break is to strengthen the team's existing squad, the main framework is basically unchanged, and more players are hoarded in local positions for emergencies.

For example, in the forward line, David Silva and Sergio Aguero have been injured frequently this season and have missed a number of games.

This has had a big impact on the team's effectiveness, so Guardiola wants to buy a replacement for the two so that the team will not be available when they are injured and absent.

David Silva said that Son Xingmin can take his place, although the two have different positions and different functions, but Son Xingmin's performance on the field is very good, and Guardiola is very satisfied with him.

So the winger can be bought or not, but the center position really has to be bought.

At the moment, the club's two substitutes, Jovetic and Iheanacho, are somewhat out of the picture.

The talent of these two is not very high, and if they leave Manchester City for other teams, they should be able to compete for a place in the main team.

But at Manchester City, they can only sit on the bench, their playing time is limited, and it is difficult to become a regular in the future.

The substitute striker in his mind should be a little stronger than these two, and he should not be too old, so that the value of training and development will be greater.

In football, there are not many young demons, and Guardiola already has several candidates in mind.

However, the impact of Neymar's transfer exceeded Guardiola's expectations, and these players who were favored by him, after receiving an offer from Manchester City, their clubs chose to open their mouths and intend to slaughter Manchester City.

"Crazy, crazy, a nineteen-year-old kid, the other party dares to ask for 40 million euros, why don't you grab it?"

Guardiola is so angry that he just wants to buy a substitute, and he is not very old, only 19 years old, such a player is 30 million euros.

But the other party bit 40 million to death, and he didn't sell it for a penny, a posture of whether you like it or not.

This makes Pep Guardiola confused, what is wrong with the transfer market in football?

How did you get so crazy?

"Ahem, there is a word called inflation, the transfer of Neymar and Pogba has stimulated major teams, set off a new round of arms race, and also caused a surge in the value of players in disguise, adult, times have changed, and it is impossible to buy cheap and easy-to-use players like before!"

Lin Quan had expected this, just like the prices in Europe, which have been rising in recent years.

Inflation in the transfer market, that's a matter of time.

What's more, in the past few years, the broadcast revenue of the major leagues has increased significantly.

The increase in income has given the major giants more sufficient ammunition to engage in arms bans.

"It's really crazy, if I had so much money, then I might as well buy a player with a little more immediate combat power!"

Lin Quan also agrees with Guardiola's statement, but the matter of substitute strikers cannot be delayed forever.

The value of players in the European league has skyrocketed, so go to overseas leagues to pan for gold.

'There's a young player named Gabriel Jesus who is doing well and he's a good option up front, so you can keep an eye on it.

Lin Quan remembers that Gabriel Jesus seems to have been on Manchester City's vetting list and will move to Manchester City in the future.

Although he is not the best model for a center forward, this guy has a lot of strength, and it is absolutely no problem to be a substitute.

In the future, if it is cultivated, it can also be sold to make a sum of money, and then continue to upgrade the team's forward configuration.

Or use it for a few years, and when a god like Haaland grows up, you can replace him.

"Bajia? Which team is he from? ”

Hearing Lin Quan mention this name, Guardiola had a vague impression, as if he had heard anyone mention this person.

"Palmeiras, he was born in 1997, he is not yet 19 years old, and he will be used as a substitute after buying it, and he himself probably will not have any complaints!"

Not only will there be no complaints, but for a young player who has mixed up in the Brazilian league, it is their dream to be able to land in the top five European leagues.

Not to mention joining Manchester City, the Champions League winner of the past two years, Lin Quan may not be aware of City's current attractiveness in overseas markets.

Just for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola and his name, there are countless players who flock to Manchester City.

Guardiola nodded, it's better to be younger, after all, he is more malleable and obedient, and he won't go against the coach.

By the way, there is also a good seedling in Ligue 1, are you interested? ”

Thinking of Haaland, Lin Quan immediately thought of Haaland's main rival in the future - Mbappe.

"Oh? Where are the seedlings? ”

"Winger!"

"Winger? What's his name? ”

"Kylian Mbappe!"

……

On January 9, in the 20th round of Ligue 1, Monaco played Ajaccio at home.

The game was supposed to be unremarkable and didn't get much attention.

But in the stands of Monaco's home stadium, there were two unexpected visitors - Manchester City's manager Pep Guardiola and the team's star Lin Quan.

Because the Premier League is underway and Manchester City have just finished a league game, the two are not here for a holiday, but to scout the players.

"This is the Mbappe you're talking about?"

In the stands, seeing a young player standing on the sidelines, wearing a Monaco shirt, about to play, Guardiola suddenly came to his senses.

"Well, that's him!"

"This kid is too young, right, I look at his information, he is only seventeen years old?"

"Yes, I just turned seventeen, so I can only be a substitute, and I have very limited playing time!"

Guardiola was very puzzled, did Lin Quan, this kid misunderstand what he meant?

I really want to buy a substitute striker, but it's not this kind of substitute!

The other party is too young, what profession can he play at the age of seventeen?

He can't fight, don't you know that ability?

Of course, Lin Quan is an exception, this kid has a lot of success when he is young.

"It's not too late to take a look at his performance before making a decision, and I think if you really want to buy someone, if it's less than 40 million, Monaco won't necessarily release him, this is their treasure!"

Hearing Lin Quan say this, Guardiola was very surprised.

Lin Quan seems to have a high opinion of this guy, and he can become a treasure of Monaco, proving that this kid does have something, so let's take a look first!

Mbappe, who just passed his seventeenth birthday, is much younger than when he was twenty-five.

At this time, his body was still a little thin, and his skills under his feet were relatively rough.

But he has one very outstanding advantage - speed!

"What a speed!"

Seeing Mbappe running wildly with the ball on the side, leaving all the opposing players behind him all the way, Guardiola, who was prepared in his heart, couldn't help but be surprised.

He immediately thought of someone, a guy who had once reigned in Highbury - Henry!

Pep Guardiola had a brief spell in charge of Thierry Henry, and although he was no longer young when he joined Barcelona, the 30-year-old Henry was still impressive on the pitch.

"Hehe, it's fast, right?"

Lin Quan saw Guardiola's surprised appearance and said with a smile:

"He has more than one killer move, in addition to speed, he also has another move, I just don't know if he has a chance to show it in this game!"

"Oh? What is it? I'm looking forward to what you're saying! ”

Pep Guardiola is a little excited, and fast players are not uncommon in football, although speed is an important attribute for wingers.

But that doesn't mean you're a good winger just because you're fast.

But the presence of speed gives them the potential to become top wingers.

If they do have the talent, if they develop it well and match their speed with great technique, they can become top wingers.

"He has a strong ability to change direction by smashing the ball, and this move is another killer feature of his!"

Mbappe's technique is not particularly good, and compared to his teammates Neymar and Messi in Paris, Mbappe's technique is much rougher.

But that doesn't stop him from being the most threatening presence in Grand Paris, because his strengths are so long that they make up for his shortcomings!

(End of chapter)