Chapter 325: Value Skyrockets by 80 Million, Surpassing Messi to Become Number One!

Chapter 325: Value Skyrockets by 80 Million, Surpassing Messi to Become Number One!

As last season's Champions League winners and home to some of the world's top superstars, Manchester City has garnered more attention this summer than ever before. In the past few years, City could attract fans' attention through big-ticket signings, but such a strategy is not sustainable and tends to cast a somewhat negative image on the club. Many fans view City's unrestrained spending as disruptive to the transfer market and as inflating operational costs for other clubs. Consequently, City has often been burdened with the image of a nouveau riche club.

However, this summer is different. Manchester City has been very restrained in the transfer market. Their appeal this season is not due to high-profile acquisitions but rather their performance last season and the presence of star players in the team. Winning the Champions League significantly boosted City's global influence and popularity, attracting many fans.

Moreover, City's rapid rise has drawn the attention of numerous European powerhouses. Last season, they beat top teams like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Barcelona on their way to the championship, proving their strength was based on skill, not luck.

As the defending champions, if their lineup remains largely unchanged, they will continue to be strong contenders in the Champions League. This is not good news for the other powerhouses, which have begun to scheme ways to weaken City by poaching their valuable players. By buying top players from City, these clubs could enhance their own strength and diminish City's.

Manchester City indeed has several top stars; among their starting eleven, except for Kolarov from Serbia who did not qualify for the World Cup, the other ten players participated in the tournament. Among them, Lin Quan and David Silva won the World Cup, while Kroos was a runner-up. Aguero, Zabaleta, and Demichelis reached the semifinals, and De Bruyne and Kompany made it to the quarterfinals. All these players, except Aguero who wasn't a regular starter, were key players for their national teams.

Lin Quan was particularly outstanding. Participating in his first World Cup, he led his team to victory and defeated Messi head-to-head in the match against Argentina. This dramatically boosted his popularity in the football world, with many pundits and stars predicting that he would become the strongest player in future football. Some even suggested he might already be at that level!

Thus, the most sought-after player from City, without a doubt, is Lin Quan. However, prying him away from Etihad Stadium is highly challenging. He still has four years left on his contract with City, and he has expressed no desire to leave. Even if he were willing, determining the transfer value for a player of his caliber is complex. The most recent high-profile transfer involving a player like Lin was Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. At that time, Real Madrid paid Manchester United 80 million pounds—94 million euros—to secure Ronaldo, setting a new record for the highest transfer fee.

Five years have passed since then, and players' values have skyrocketed, making that price less relevant today. However, one thing is certain: any transfer fee for Lin would undoubtedly set a new world record. While the major clubs were unsure about Lin's exact worth, the German transfer market updated its latest player value rankings. According to their scientifically calculated system based on players' performances at the World Cup, Lin Quan's value shot up by 80 million euros to 150 million euros due to his outstanding performance, surpassing Messi as the current most valuable player in action.

Although Messi did not win the World Cup, his five goals in the final two matches added considerable value, bringing his worth up to 135 million euros, making him the second most valuable player. Considering the age difference between Messi and Lin, with Lin only 18 and still developing, it is unlikely that Messi, now 27, will close this 15 million euro gap, especially as injuries and aging could lead to a decline in his performance.

Below Lin and Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo ranks third. His performance with Portugal at the World Cup was poor, scoring only two goals and facing early elimination. Therefore, his value did not increase and remains at 120 million euros, ranking him third. At 29, Ronaldo is the oldest of the top three, and his value is unlikely to increase, only to decline with age.

Behind these three, the ranking continues with Gareth Bale from Wales, who did not make it to the World Cup, causing his value to decrease from 90 million euros last year to 80 million euros now. Neymar, expected to surpass Bale, unfortunately suffered an injury during the World Cup, and Brazil's devastating loss to Germany dampened the pre-tournament hype around him. His value increase was less than expected at 70 million euros, ranking him fifth.

The players ranked sixth to tenth are Di Maria and Iniesta at 65 million euros, James Rodriguez, Suarez, and Falcao each valued at 60 million euros. Notably, due to their impressive World Cup performances, Lin Quan's teammates Kroos and De Bruyne saw their values increase to 50 million and 35 million euros, respectively. Despite missing the World Cup, Marco Reus's value soared by 20 million euros to 55 million euros, making him the most valuable German player.

Thus, the German transfer market has a significant influence, and many clubs use its valuations as a reference for conducting transfers. When the latest rankings were published, they sparked widespread discussion in the football world.

"Lin has topped the rankings?" "Is that for real?" "150 million euros? Has the German market gone mad? That high?" "Even Messi is only at 135 million. Lin is just 18 and already at 150 million, is there no justice?" "Consider inflation. If Messi were five years younger, his value might not be lower than Lin's." "Seeing the transfer fees this summer makes me dizzy. Nearly 80 million euros used to be the record!" "Remember when Zidane moved to Real Madrid for just 77.5 million euros? That shocked the world back then!" "Inflation is crazy. Didn't PSG just make a 200 million euro offer for Lin? If that deal had gone through, it would have doubled the current record!"

During his vacation, Lin Quan saw his updated value on social media and couldn't help but comment, "Am I really that expensive?" He had expected his value to rise, possibly to 110 or 120 million euros, but the German market's aggressive new valuation at 150 million euros took him by surprise.

Under Lin's social media post, numerous fans commented. "Indeed very expensive, a kilo of pork costs just 12 yuan, your value could buy 140,000 tons of pork !" This comparison by a Chinese fan made Lin smile wryly. Calculating his worth in terms of pork? Ridiculous!

Yet Lin couldn't help but do the math. One pig weighs about 100 kilograms; 140,000 tons of pork translates to 1.4 million pigs. Unbelievable!

The updated German transfer market valuations caught the attention of major clubs. Seeing Lin's value, they gasped. The German market valuations are just a reference; actual transfer fees are usually higher, especially if the player's contract is not nearing its end. Lin's contract with City still has years left, and his value at 150 million euros implies that buying him would cost at least 200 million euros. No wonder City rejected PSG's 200 million euro offer without hesitation. To buy Lin, a club might need to prepare 250 million euros or more, a sum that few clubs can afford, even the traditional powerhouses.

Even if they had the money, they might not be willing to spend it all on Lin. Such a high fee would also mean an exorbitant salary, unaffordable for most clubs except a few super-rich ones. But clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and PSG could be exceptions. While the first two don't have Middle Eastern backers, they have the financial reserves built over many years and could potentially gather the funds by selling some players. PSG, backed by Qatari money, doesn't have a funding issue but still struggles to buy top players. They failed to buy Lin at 200 million euros, and 250 million euros might not be enough either. Ronaldo and Messi are also uninterested in joining PSG, so they might target players below the top three, like Neymar.

Neymar's value is only 70 million euros; if PSG offers 150 million, would Barcelona sell? PSG intends to test the waters.

Accepting the reality that they couldn't buy Lin Quan, major clubs turned their attention to his teammates. City has several young, talented players who attracted interest from the powerhouses, especially Kroos. His excellent World Cup performance gained him widespread recognition. Clubs that mocked City's big spending last winter now regret their words. Based on his World Cup performance, 50 million euros for Kroos is reasonable. But given the current market, prying him away from City might cost 60 or even 70 million euros, and City might still refuse to sell.

Ignoring whether City would sell, clubs decided to test the waters. Real Madrid took the first step. With Xabi Alonso transferred to Bayern, their midfield lacked a main player. Although they signed James Rodríguez, he is an attacking midfielder, unlike Alonso. Casemiro, their Brazilian find, was loaned to Porto and unavailable. Thus, Real Madrid offered 55 million euros for Kroos. But for City, this was unattractive. They bought Kroos for 50 million euros and wouldn't sell for just a 5 million euro profit.

City rejected Real Madrid's offer without hesitation. Real Madrid, unsurprised, raised their bid to 60 million euros. Meanwhile, they contacted Kroos's agent Walker, intending to persuade the player himself. Walker, invited by Real Madrid's president Florentino Pérez, gladly went to Madrid for a private discussion.

(End of Chapter)