"How stingy. They're only willing to offer 3 million euros!"
After seeing Bayern Munich's offer, Lin Yong couldn't help but complain.
There were too many offers to go through all at once.
With the approval of Greuther Fürth's chairman, Lin Feng brought the documents home to review with his family.
Lin Yong was a Bundesliga fan, and Bayern Munich was the Bundesliga's dominant force.
Moreover, they lived very close to Munich, so if Lin Feng really was going to transfer, Lin Yong would have preferred to send his son to Bayern Munich.
But looking at Bayern Munich's utterly insincere offer, Lin Yong knew that move was probably off the table.
"Bayern Munich is the Bundesliga's top dog. They can take whatever they want in the league and poach whoever they please. Maybe they think offering 3 million euros to a German 2. Bundesliga club is already doing them a favor."
His older brother Lin Feng leaned over for a look and casually offered his assessment.
Bayern Munich had a rather unpleasant nickname in the Bundesliga: the Bundesliga Excavator.
They had earned it because Bayern Munich loved poaching star players from other Bundesliga teams, especially established stars with real ability.
Effenberg and Matthäus from Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Scholl and Kahn from Karlsruhe.
Zé Roberto, Ballack, and Lúcio from Bayer Leverkusen.
Dæschler from Hertha BSC, among others.
The list of victims could go on and on.
Among Bundesliga teams, very few had never had Bayern Munich poach their players.
Whenever a player showed promise in their squad, Bayern Munich would come charging over with its shovel without the slightest hesitation.
Wasn't that exactly what had happened with Werder Bremen striker Klose, who had performed brilliantly in the 2004-2005 season and caught Bayern Munich's eye?
Back then, Bayern Munich manager Hoeneß had sworn that Klose wasn't good enough for Bayern Munich, and that Makaay was ten thousand times better than him.
But under Werder Bremen Head Coach Schaaf's guidance, Klose's abilities kept improving, his technique became more well-rounded, and he gradually showed the potential of a world-class striker.
Then Bayern Munich's attitude toward Klose changed...
So arrogant at first, then so deferential afterward. It was laughable to think about!
"3 million is far too low. Even if we agreed, the club's board wouldn't!"
Lin Feng had already given up hope of joining Bayern Munich.
If Greuther Fürth were selling a player, they would naturally prefer to sell him to the side offering more money.
After all, who would turn down money?
So Bayern Munich definitely had no chance unless they were willing to raise their offer.
Quite a few powerhouse clubs had made bids. From the Premier League, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United had all made their moves.
Seeing Arsenal's name on the list of offers, Lin Feng felt rather emotional.
Professor, Professor, you finally couldn't resist making a move.
But you were still as stingy as ever...
A 7 million euro offer had no chance whatsoever against Inter Milan's 15 million euro bid.
Even compared with the other Premier League giants, it was completely outclassed.
With an offer like this, even if I wanted to help you, I couldn't!
"Manchester United made an offer too? How much did they pay when they signed Dong Fangzhuo?"
Lin Yong was quite surprised when he saw Manchester United's name.
But when he saw Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and other Premier League giants on the offer list, he could barely keep the smile off his face.
His son had truly made something of himself. So many teams were fighting to take him away!
And the teams competing for him were all elite giants. When had a Chinese player ever received this kind of treatment?
"Your precious son is one of the most watched young players in Europe right now. It's perfectly normal for these clubs to have their eyes on him.
With the mindset of taking a swing whether there's a reward or not, it's only natural that they'd join the competition."
His older brother Lin Feng seriously picked up the offers and began reviewing them. He studied financial management and was better at matters involving money.
The first offer Lin Feng picked up was Manchester United's.
Compared with Arsenal and Chelsea, Manchester United was clearly much more famous.
After all, Manchester United had been the undisputed rulers of the Premier League for the past decade and one of its most successful clubs!
Compared with a fallen giant like Inter Milan, the rampant Manchester United carried even more weight.
"Manchester United offered you 8 million euros, but they paid 3.5 million pounds for Dong Fangzhuo. Converted to euros, that's roughly 5 million. Your offer isn't that much higher than Dong Fangzhuo's."
Lin Feng couldn't help frowning after seeing Manchester United's offer.
The moment Lin Yong heard that Manchester United was only willing to offer 8 million for his son, all his goodwill toward the club shattered.
"Isn't this offer far too insincere? They spent 19 million euros signing that Portuguese kid two years ago. Why are they only willing to offer 8 million for you? What part of my son is worse than that Portuguese kid who only knows how to dive?"
Lin Yong complained indignantly.
Hearing his father's complaint, Lin Feng couldn't help wiping away a cold sweat.
Dad, did you know that the Portuguese kid you called a diver was one half of the future Football World's peerless duo?
"Manchester United's offer is too low. This price clearly shows they don't value you much. At most, they'd be bringing you in as an investment, and they might not give you many opportunities to play."
His older brother remained rational, unaffected by their father's complaints.
If Ferguson truly thought highly of his younger brother, he would never have made such a low offer.
"That's right, Manchester United isn't sincere. You can't go there!"
Lin Yong chimed in loudly as well.
He would not let his son choose Manchester United just because of its fame.
For a young player, where he played was of crucial importance. If he chose the wrong platform, it could seriously delay or even ruin his son's promising future.
"I feel the same way. It doesn't matter whether it's a giant club, but it has to guarantee playing time and let me play as many matches as possible."
Lin Feng shared the same view as his brother and father.
Although he had the system, he lacked match experience, especially experience in high-level matches.
If he couldn't keep his feet on the ground, play more games, and build a solid foundation, but instead blindly chased giant clubs...
Then even the greatest talent would be wasted on a giant club's cold bench.
"There's also the Work Permit issue in the Premier League, so we don't need to consider it for now."
Lin Feng casually set aside the stack of Premier League offers in his hand.
"Since Inter Milan has made the highest and most sincere offer, we'll wait for them to send someone over and see what terms they offer before making a decision!"
Inter Milan moved quickly. Two days later, Inter Milan chairman Facchetti personally arrived at their door with sporting director Branca and transfer market director Oriali.
Before coming, Inter Milan had already settled matters with Greuther Fürth.
After raising their offer to 20 million euros, Greuther Fürth could no longer hold back. They gave the green light all the way, prepared every procedure, and were merely waiting for signatures.
There was no helping it. The other side was offering far too much!
Now, all Inter Milan needed to do was convince the player himself.
"Lin, Mr. Moratti admires and thinks very highly of you. He has already prepared a welcome ceremony for you in Milan City and is only waiting for you to join us!"
With that, Facchetti took out a contract from the briefcase he carried and handed it over.
Lin Feng opened it and took a look. Facchetti had indeed not lied; Inter Milan's terms were truly sincere.
In the contract prepared for him, Inter Milan offered an annual salary of 3 million euros.
That was more than ten times his current wages!
For a player his age, it was absolutely a sky-high salary.
Adriano had earned only 60,000 euros a year when he first joined Inter Milan, while Cristiano Ronaldo had earned just 1.5 million when he joined Manchester United.
Compared with those two, Lin Feng's starting point was far higher.
Lin Feng took a deep breath and restrained the urge to sign the contract immediately.
Then he asked a question:
"Mr. Facchetti, I want to know: Inter Milan values me so highly... isn't it because I resemble Kaka?"
Before you continue