"I almost signed Chen Zhong."

As the winter transfer window approaches, various transfer rumors have begun to emerge. In far-off England, Arsenal's then-head coach Wenger recently expressed interest in signing Real Madrid's Chen Zhong and revealed some insider information in a broadcast.

Besides Real Madrid discovering Chen Zhong in 2004, Arsenal scouts also reported on Chen Zhong to Wenger, who had agreed to sign him. Unfortunately, they were a step behind Real Madrid.

By the time they tried to contact Chen Zhong, he had already joined Real Madrid's youth team.

Since Vieira left Arsenal, the club has been searching for his replacement. After Chen Zhong scored twice in a match against Valencia, rumors spread that Arsenal hoped to sign him.

This season, Arsenal's attack strategy heavily relies on breakthroughs down the flanks, using back-passes to score. Chen Zhong's proactive forward play during the match against Valencia reminded Wenger of Vieira.

Last season, there was a transaction between Real Madrid and Arsenal. However, Baptista's rashness on the back line disappointed Wenger. Apart from his physique, this Brazilian player couldn't compare to Vieri, but Chen Zhong was different.

He had already proven his defensive abilities and now showcased his offensive talents. Although still a bit raw, his future greatly enticed Wenger.

One of the main reasons Wenger wanted to sign Chen Zhong was his "affordable" transfer fee and salary. Wenger estimated that signing Chen Zhong would cost no more than 10 million pounds, a considerable price for a 16-year-old player.

If Real Madrid was unwilling to let Chen Zhong become an Arsenal player, Wenger didn't mind taking him on loan.

Last season, Arsenal's new stadium was put into use, but the construction loan remained a heavy burden on the club.

Very quickly, negotiations between Arsenal and Real Madrid made substantive progress, much to Wenger's pleasant surprise.

While Wenger felt surprised, Schuster only felt shock. Upon receiving notification from the club that Real Madrid was open to Chen Zhong's departure and that negotiations had begun, Schuster couldn't believe his ears.

"Damn it."

"Do they even understand football!"

"If we let Chen go now, how much more will it cost us to buy a player of similar caliber?" Schuster incredulously asked Francisco in his office. "They promised to bring me the players I want, but Chen is the one I want now."

Sporting director Mijatovic was utterly incompetent. Schuster had witnessed Real Madrid's capabilities in the transfer market. Aside from "being lucky and picking up bargains," other transactions seemed to suggest they were taking kickbacks, haphazard transfers.

Indeed, Pepe's transfer from Porto to Real Madrid was under investigation.

Earlier, Schuster and Francisco had discussed the recent report from Portugal's Record.

Last year, Portugal investigated the 2004-2005 season transfer of Pepe from Maritimo Club to Porto. Pepe transferred to Porto for a fee of 2.3 million euros.

But Maritimo Club's accounts indicated they only received 900,000 euros from Porto, with the remaining 1.4 million euros vanishing into thin air. This alarmed the relevant Portuguese authorities. Just as they were about to launch an official investigation, something even more unbelievable happened.

In 2007, Pepe spent most of the time injured, yet transferred to La Liga giant Real Madrid for 30 million euros, despite having a market value of 15 million euros!

Sporting director Mijatovic had been shuttle between Spain and Portugal in recent days. He cooperated with the investigation in Lisbon, and after whatever happened during that period, he held a press conference declaring, "This investigation has nothing to do with Real Madrid, only providing information about Pepe's transfer from Maritimo to Porto."

This statement naturally didn't earn the media's trust, not even Schuster's.

The Spanish media's language was biting, especially Marca, which recently had a poor relationship with Real Madrid's higher-ups. They directly asked, "How did you get the documents on Pepe's transfer from Maritimo to Porto?"

This question left sporting director Mijatovic at a loss for words, and he only gave vague responses. But due to the lack of concrete evidence, Portugal's Record simply labeled him and Pepe's agent Mendes as the "biggest beneficiaries of the 30 million transfer case," claiming in their report, "Most of the illicit money went to them."

While the media delved into this matter, Diario AS released insider information: "Arsenal is interested in signing Chen Zhong, and negotiations between the two clubs have reached a substantive stage."

This statement stirred up a storm.

Especially among the Merengue fans, most of whom objected. A few suggested sending young players to play under Wenger to improve their skills, but they were quickly rebuked by rational Merengue fans.

"Is your brain just full of water!!"

"He's already become a starter for the team, so why send him to Arsenal?"

"Have you not seen any of our recent games? Did you not notice Chen's performance? I really want to kick your butt to snap you out of it."

For a while, the entire Spanish media was abuzz about this issue. To make an inappropriate comparison, Chen Zhong was similar to early Messi; no club would sell the flag and leader of their future.

Even Florentino, who had stepped down as Real Madrid president, couldn't help but speak up during an interview. Since his resignation, Florentino had rarely spoken publicly about Real Madrid.

This unexpected appearance took many by surprise.

"I don't believe the club would sell Chen."

"Everyone can see how outstanding he is. Selling Chen is unimaginable."

"If Calderon, under whose leadership Real Madrid would sell Chen, then foreseeably, I imagine Casillas, Raul, and Guti would also be sold by Calderon."

Florentino's remarks left many stunned, and some Merengue fans, frustrated by Calderon's series of baffling moves, couldn't help but chant Florentino's name, hoping he'd return as president of Real Madrid.

Sometimes, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Under Florentino's management, getting any superstar seemed effortless, while Real Madrid under Calderon resembled a clown in the transfer market.

Far away in London, Wenger knew this transfer was doomed when he heard Florentino's comments, and soon Calderon's response confirmed it all.

Calderon held a press conference and publicly stated in front of the media and reporters: "There've been some recent rumors about us selling Chen. To this, I say, Chen is Real Madrid's future, and we won't short-sightedly sell the team's future for money."

"I've already instructed sporting director Mijatovic to reject any offers for Chen. He will be a non-sellable asset for the team."

"We have also begun new contract negotiations with Chen, and after signing the new contract, we'll hold a grand signing ceremony at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium."

Calderon's forte was "deceiving" fans. During the election, he was fond of using empty promises to fool the esteemed Merengue fans, and after those promises failed, he played the emotional card under the guise of youth training.

However, this promise of his hit the heartstrings of the Merengue fans, even temporarily boosting his approval ratings, making Calderon quite pleased.

Watching Calderon's "performance," Florentino wasn't too concerned with this clown. Florentino stepped down to break and rebuild.

Calderon was his target; when the esteemed Merengue fans' emotions reached a peak, that would be his time to stage "the king's return."

In fact, Florentino had been keeping an eye on the movements of some young players, like the "Pirate" Granero, who had already left, and those about to leave, like Callejon and Parejo.

When he re-took control of Real Madrid, it would be the dawn of his Youth Army era.

...

The recent transfer wave dissipated even before Chen Zhong could clarify it, and during his communication with Raiola, Chen Zhong realized that Calderon merely used him, the recent favorited "Imperial Pet," to distract the fans.

"Chen."

"The terms of the new contract have essentially been finalized."

"Your new contract signing ceremony will be held during the Bernabeu Cup."

"This time, you've been offered an annual net salary of 1 million euros, with an appearance fee of 10,000 euros per match, and goals and assists will be calculated at the end of the season."

"As expected of Real Madrid, if you can help the team win a title or two this season, your annual income might surpass around 2 million euros!"

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