De Bruyne or Tang Long? Manchester City had to choose one!

Munich, Germany.

Inside the office of Bayern Munich's sporting director.

In front of sporting director Reschke, Bayern Munich coach Guardiola dialed Tang Long's number.

Reschke stood nervously to one side, his arms crossed over his chest, listening intently.

As a linguistic genius, Guardiola speaks six different languages.

Spain, Catalonia, Italy, English, French, and German.

He knew beforehand that Tang Long's Italy was not very good, so he spoke to Tang Long in English on the phone.

Reschke, standing to the side, was a little worried. After all, Tang Long was China, and English wasn't his native language. Could he understand Guardiola's English, which had a Spain seafood accent?

"On behalf of Bayern Munich, I sincerely invite you to play for us. Yes..."

"But we've been tracking you for half a season, and the club greatly appreciates your ability to read the game in midfield..."

"... As for me personally, I'm amazed by your anticipation on the field, Tang. You know, it reminds me of Busquets, a player I used to coach..."

"Is that so? Okay, I'll reiterate, once you're at Bayern, you'll be the undisputed starter in midfield. You'll replace Alonso and take on the role of the midfield's core playmaker..."

"You should have heard my story. I'm very good at developing midfielders. I can take your abilities to the next level. Many players have said the same thing."

"... Good child, I wish you all the best in the future!"

I saw Guardiola hang up the phone with a frown on his face.

Bayern's sporting director Reschke, sensed something was wrong and hurriedly asked, "Does he not want to come to Bayern?"

Guardiola nodded dejectedly, then shook his head.

"Tang said he really wants to play for me, but his first choice right now is the Premier League. I asked him which Premier League team he wanted to go to, but he didn't tell me. He only said that if possible, he definitely wants to work with me sometime in the future."

Reschke breathed a long sigh of relief.

"I've said it before, this China player is hard to poach. The whole world is eyeing him. From what I know, at least three Premier League teams are in contact with him. These teams are all very wealthy, so it's no wonder that players from all over the world are flocking to the Premier League. We at Bayern can't compare to them."

Guardiola glared at him angrily. "How can we not be as good as them? Are you saying that my Bayern is bad? Tell me, are we worse than Manchester United, Manchester City, or Chelsea and Arsenal?"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant," Reschke realized he had misspoke and hurriedly explained, "In terms of team strength, your Bayern is absolutely top-tier, and we're not afraid of any team. But in terms of financial strength, because of our 50+1 policy, we also have our own difficulties."

Reschke's reference to 50+1 means that Germany football clubs must maintain at least 51% of the voting rights.

Even if an owner buys more than 50% of the team's shares, his voting rights cannot exceed those of the club itself.

In other words, the terms restrict wealthy owners like Abramovich and Mansour from entering the Bundesliga; even if they buy all the shares, they don't have the decision-making power.

The 50+1 rule has largely dampened the enthusiasm of potential investors to invest in Bundesliga clubs.

After analysis, they all concluded that no matter how much money they invested, they would never become the true owners of the club, or even have absolute decision-making power. Therefore, very few investors have been willing to invest in Bundesliga clubs for a long time.

Guardiola was not satisfied with this explanation.

"Reschke, that's not what you told me when I came to Bayern two years ago!"

"You promised to give me absolute control over the transfer, and there's no need to worry about funding. Besides, Tang is a player I've personally followed for six months. I even went to the UEFA Europa League to write a scouting report for him. You promised me you would do your best to help me get him!"

Reschke waved his hand, saying that times have changed.

After Tang Long won the UEFA Europa League, his market value skyrocketed. Icardi was sold for Pound Sterling 80 million, which is equivalent to €95 million, almost 100 million!

Given Tang Long's age and the potential he has shown, it would cost at least 60 million euros to acquire him.

Bayern Munich emphasizes healthy and sustainable development and strictly adheres to European Financial Fair Play regulations. Their club transfer record is still €40 million spent to acquire Javi Martinez from Athletic Bilbao in 2012, and the team does not want to spend more money on Tang Long alone.

Guardiola was increasingly agitated by what he heard.

It seems that Manchester United's recent Pound Sterling 80 million purchase of Icardi from Inter Milan has taken a hit with Reschke.

"Without making any major signings, we will quickly fall behind our competitors!"

"At Barca, we have the continuous supply of talent from La Masia, but at Bayern we don't."

"If Bayern is only satisfied with winning the Bundesliga, we can do without Tang Long. But if we're aiming to win the UEFA Champions League in the next three years, this kid is the perfect piece of the puzzle for my possession-based system!"

The two disagreed and started arguing.

Guardiola has consistently emphasized Tang Long's importance to Bayern's tactics.

Reschke kept complaining, "We don't have that much budget. We're a 50+1 club. Even though you're a world-renowned coach valued by the management, you can't just do things recklessly!"

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice.

After arguing for a while, a red-faced Guardiola had no choice but to accept the reality.

He said sullenly:

"In your country's league, there's an enormous obstacle called 50+1. The Bundesliga always seems to prioritize respecting tradition over genuine competitiveness, but how long can we keep up with these things? At some point, you have to think about what constitutes a more modern and competitive approach. Shouldn't the Germany league be moving towards a better future, especially in the face of fierce international competition?"

UK, Manchester Kingdom.

At the entrance to the only highway connecting the airport to the city, passing vehicles slowed down, rolled down their windows, and looked at a 20-meter-tall billboard on the roadside.

Welcome to Manchester!

Below the striking red slogan is a picture of Icardi wearing a Manchester United number 9 jersey, arms outstretched, embracing the sky.

It was sunset.

Against the backdrop of a blood-red sky, the billboard appears even redder—the color of Manchester United, and also a reflection of the city's current state.

"Haha, what a fantastic transfer!"

"I love this slogan, so great!"

"Manchester should be red!"

"Has the schedule for next season been released yet? I can't wait to see Icardi start in the derby!"

Passing vehicles and onlookers alike expressed their feelings.

In 2009, Tevez spent Pound Sterling 2,000 of his own money to hang a giant blue-background poster in Manchester that read "Welcome to Manchester," which infuriated then- Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson!

Sir Alex Ferguson was a gentleman and never publicly criticized Tevez.

However, Manchester United fans shouldn't be left out!

A local fan organization also spent Pound Sterling 3,000 of its own money to hang this giant red-background poster on a billboard near the airport.

The retired Ferguson is very optimistic about Icardi's future at Manchester United.

He privately told current manager Van Gaal that Icardi might be the next king of the Red Devils has brought in since Van Nistelrooy!

In Ferguson's view, Icardi, who is only 22 years old, will definitely surpass Van Nistelrooy's achievements at Manchester United in the future.

At this moment.

Manchester City Club, meeting room.

The team management meeting continued from after lunch until sunset.

Chief Operating Officer Begiristain stood up, did a twisting motion in place, then walked to the door and turned on the light.

"Thank you all for your hard work. I don't want to continue this meeting, but we're under a lot of pressure right now. Manchester United's moves in the transfer market are as fast as a rocket, completely beyond our expectations. We need to step up our game!"

Commercial Director Berrada chimed in, "Why is our neighbor acting so unpredictably this year? They just gave Arsenal a hand, and then finalized the deal in one fell swoop. This is abnormal!"

Head coach Pellegrini said, "Now the whole world knows Inter Milan has opened a major supermarket. If you don't act quickly, you'll only be able to pick up the scraps in the end."

After twisting his waist, Begiristain stood with his feet together, hands on his knees, and circled them, making a cracking sound.

Pellegrini joked, "Our dear chief operating officer has a knee injury, should I call the team doctor over to treat him?"

Begiristain smiled wryly, "No need. If you're not planning to buy Tang Long, my knee will be fine soon. I've been traveling back and forth between Manchester Milan lately, and my legs are almost broken!"

Manchester City are interested in two Inter Milan players: center- Ranocchia and midfielder Tang Long.

The problem with Ranocchia is easy to solve; the competition isn't that fierce.

Tang Long's problem is tricky!

It is understood that Chelsea, the Premier League champions this season, are very interested in Tang Long. They have already had in-depth communication with Inter Milan and Tang Long's agent Ronaldo.

"What's Inter Milan's sporting director's name again, the bald one?" Pelle asked.

"His name is Ausilio," Begiristain replied.

"How much can we believe this guy? He said Chelsea's first offer was Pound Sterling 50 million, is he kidding us?"

"I'm not kidding. I went to his office myself and opened his email for me. He said he doesn't usually let people see it, only people like us. I know this guy; he likes to take kickbacks and brags about his company-funded trips."

So, should we go with it or not?

Pellegrini was somewhat uneasy.

Chelsea owner Abramovich is incredibly wealthy, and with his most trusted manager Mourinho winning the long-awaited Premier League title in his second year at the club, Abramovich will undoubtedly give his full support to the Portuguese's transfer dealings.

"Go! Why wouldn't we go!"

"Abramovich is very rich, but is he as rich as our Abu Dhabi United Group?"

Begiristain made some bold statements, emphasizing the owner's absolute support for Manchester City.

Upon hearing this, Chile coach Pellegrini felt much more at ease.

Chelsea has deep pockets, but Manchester City's backers are just as powerful, if not more so!

However, Begiristain then changed his tone, making Pellegrini's heart tighten again.

"Of course, the boss emphasized that as a foreign boss, he must strictly adhere to the Financial Fair Play Act, and the money must be spent wisely. We have money, but we can't be fools."

"What I mean is, we can compete with Chelsea for Tang, but we have to put De Bruyne on hold. And vice versa. In short, it's a choice between the two. Do you agree?"

Pellegrini began to consider his options. De Bruyne was a player he had wanted to sign during the winter break. The Belgium's exquisite passing skills and attacking desire displayed at Wolfsburg made him extremely eager to sign him.

With 16 goals and 27 assists in 51 appearances, such impressive double-doubles would undoubtedly boost Manchester City's midfield attacking firepower and fuel their attacking football!

After all, Lampard is only a temporary replacement; he won't be there next season.

But Pellegrini then thought again, wasn't Tang Long also one of his favorites?

Although he has fewer goals than De Bruyne, his ability to provide assists is in no way inferior, and may even be stronger!

He made 31 appearances, scoring 7 goals and providing 27 assists!

They had the same number of assists, but Tang Long played fewer games and was more efficient.

What Pellegrini finds even more difficult to part with is that Tang Long often makes godlike anticipations during matches!

Whether it's choosing a running position or the timing of a pass, Tang Long's thinking always seems to be 1 to 3 seconds ahead.

Often, his actions are baffling at first, but a few seconds later, he proves his choice to be correct.

Pellegrini is 62 years old this year, which means he is nearing the end of his coaching career.

From 1988 to 2015, he coached for a full 27 years, and hundreds of players played under his tutelage. Never before had a player possessed Tang Long's precise ability to read the game. Indeed, Coach Pellegrini interpreted Tang Long's god-like anticipation on the field as his superb ability to read the game.

De Bruyne and Tang Long are both players favored by Pellegrini. Both are very young, one is 24 years old and the other is about to turn 19. Perhaps in a sense, the 24-year-old De Bruyne professional leagues for many years and his mentality is more mature. He also played in the Premier League for his former club Chelsea, so adapting to the pace of the Premier League will not be a problem.

However, Tang Long is five years younger, which indicates that he has greater potential and malleability, and a more promising future.

If I absolutely had to choose one, they're both so dear to me, it's a really tough decision!

Seeing the head coach's brows furrowed so deeply, the business director Berrada, immediately said:

"No need to hesitate any longer! Choose Tang!"

"Why?" Pellegrini and Begiristain asked in unison.

"I am the Commercial Director," Berrada said. "My work mainly focuses on the club's commercial development and sponsorships, bringing more business opportunities and sponsorship contracts to the club, further improving the club's financial situation and global brand influence."

"Since De Bruyne and Tang are at roughly the same level, why don't we bring in a China player?"

"China has a population of 1.4 billion, behind which lies a commercial market with enormous development potential. Once Tang comes to Manchester City, our focus in China will definitely increase dramatically!"

"Won't all sorts of commercial sponsorships come flooding in then? And if we go to China to play a few commercial exhibition matches, the appearance fees and ticket sales will be rolling in."

Upon hearing this, Begiristain immediately approved it!

"Alright, then let's forget about De Bruyne and focus all our efforts on chasing Tang!"

Pellegrini quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't rush, De Bruyne is a good kid too, we can make a second choice. If Don doesn't come, I'll still choose De Bruyne."

Begiristain scratched his head, thinking about having to compete with Chelsea for players this summer, and suddenly felt a headache coming on.

A bloodbath is likely to ensue.

"Do you know what I'm afraid of?" Begiris said. "By the time we've agreed on a price with Inter Milan, Tang will insist on going to Chelsea. After all, they just won the Premier League title and are riding high. Plus, their manager is Mourinho, and that guy has personal charisma..."

Berrada tugged at Begiristain's arm and gestured towards Pellegrini with his mouth, signaling him to stop.

"Regarding Tang's personal wishes, I have an idea. Listen to it and see if it's feasible."

Begiristain's eyes lit up, while Pellegrini curiously peeked over.

"China player Sun Jihai, who once played for Manchester City, we can ask him to act as an intermediary."