Chapter 54

Money is not everything.

The fact has long been proven that those who say this are mostly people with more money than they know what to do with, people who can speak without feeling the strain. Therefore, the second half of this saying is that without money, nothing is possible.

Lin Sen's second-phase defensive reinforcements are two Italians, Ranocchia and Bonucci. Livermore did not think much of it at first because the six targets for the second phase all had one thing in common: none of them had established themselves in the top leagues, and almost all played in the second or even third tiers of their respective countries, including Lewandowski, who played in the Polish league. This made Livermore feel that the difficulty of recruitment was not high. But soon, he found out that this was not the case.

Ranocchia, who currently plays for Arezzo, although his team played in the third tier last season, is clearly a talent that shines wherever he goes. This central defender has already caught the attention of many Serie A teams, with one of the old Serie A powerhouses even entering the substantive inquiry stage. Bonucci, who is still in the second tier, has an even bigger background; his former club is the famous Serie A giant Inter Milan.

It could be said that among the six targets for the second phase, only this pair of central defenders are willing to come, but it's not certain that they will. Even so, Lin Sen still locked onto these two people, perhaps with the determination not to give up until he reaches the Yellow River. Excellent central defenders are rare in the entire European football scene, and finding two who are willing to come is already not easy. Moreover, in Lin Sen's memory, this pair of central defenders is a combination that has been proven to complement each other effectively in practice. If he remembers correctly, the newly promoted Bari, with this pair of defenders, had a top-notch defense in that season's Serie A, and it was precisely because of that season's performance that this pair officially embarked on their paths to the top clubs.

Currently, both are in a low period, but soon, both will face turning points, and the club that will change their fates is the same: **. Soon, ** will acquire Ranocchia using the unique method of co-ownership, which only exists in Italy. Next year, Bonucci will also join ** as part of the deal for Milito's transfer to Inter Milan. Therefore, if there is still interest in these two, this year would be the best time.

Livermore's inquiry quickly received a frustrating answer, not because the other party was unwilling to sell, but because: both Bonucci and Ranocchia, Malaga probably cannot afford. The former is priced at two million, and the latter is even more expensive, at three million.

Not expensive. Really not expensive.

If Lin Sen knew, he would definitely say that. Because involving Milito's transfer, Lin Sen has an impression of Bonucci's value; at that time, he was valued at four million in the transfer, of course, valuations in Italy, where accounting is almost transparent, are not accurate, but two million is definitely worth it. As for Ranocchia, Lin Sen does not remember how much ** paid for half of his ownership, but he knows that when he finally became famous, Inter Milan paid over twelve million for the other half!

So, what to do? Tough luck.

The two million transfer fee for Bonucci, if Malaga can sell Bahia, they might make an effort, but the three million for Ranocchia, although not expensive, is clearly beyond Malaga's budget. More importantly, Lin Sen has always told Livermore that it would be best if both could come together. This is because Lin Sen considered Livermore's previous concerns about Serie A defenders not adapting to La Liga, which is closely related to the styles of the two leagues. Lin Sen's idea is that if both can come together, the complementary effect they form might offset this negative impact. After all, both are young and still have room for development in style. But if only one comes, the risk would be much higher. Even Samuel could stumble, and Lin Sen would not dare to guarantee.

Livermore calculated Malaga's remaining budget and felt a bit frustrated. Perhaps, they could only try the loan form?

Livermore did not know that Lin Sen had already returned to Spain, and even if he did, he probably would not tell him. Because in Livermore's view, informing Lin Sen of these matters would be of no help, so he decided to complete the current task first.

This time, he planned to directly contact the families of the two young men.

---

You are too weak, not suitable for football.

For a long time, Reus has been working hard to prove that the coach's words about him were wrong, and now, those words have finally borne fruit, a bitter one.

When he learned that he had been released by the Dortmund youth team he loved, Reus felt as if the sky had fallen. Not only did he have to leave Dortmund, but the coach's words seemed to have given him an invisible judgment that he should give up football.

Reus will never forget the day he returned home.

His father, with a serious face, carefully analyzed the possible teams he could join.

His usually quiet mother prepared a special nutritional dinner for him according to the menu given by the team's nutritionist.

His sister, who had always been against him, repeatedly cursed the Dortmund coach who had released him.

Did the sky really fall? No, the sky did not fall.

At this moment, his family gave him tremendous encouragement. His father, mother, sister... everyone supported him from behind, and Reus quickly regained his confidence: "It's okay, I believe in my ability."

Reus actively sought his next destination, and at this time, the Red-White Aalen of the 2. Bundesliga appeared just in time. Reus was even ready to join Aalen, but at this moment, a Spaniard named Livermore suddenly appeared, claiming that he hoped Reus would go to Malaga in Spain.

Malaga, the newly promoted team in the new season of La Liga.

Reus's first reaction was that it was a stroke of luck, but soon, reason overcame his first reaction: go to Spain? Leave Germany? Leave home? Reus, who was used to making his own decisions, shook his head after much consideration. Although the other party was a La Liga club, a month ago, he was still a Dortmund player. If he could not play, what difference would it make if he went to Bayern Munich? Being released once in a lifetime is enough. Compared to Malaga, Reus believed that the 2. Bundesliga's Red-White Aalen would be a better stage, where he would have enough space and opportunities. Of course, more importantly, he did not want to leave his family.

Reus thought the Spaniard would leave, as he did not think he had anything that would make the other party persist. But he did not expect that a few days later, the Spaniard appeared again, this time directly at his home, chatting happily with his father.

Reus was a bit angry; he had already made it clear, and the other party bypassed him to talk to his father.

"You should go to Spain, Marco."

His father's words instantly dispelled Reus's anger, and he was very puzzled about how the other party managed to get his father to support him going to Spain.

"Starting position!"

Why? When Reus heard that the other party promised him a starting position, his head was full of questions. Even if he was confident, he could not understand why Livermore dared to promise him a starting position. After all, even in the Dortmund youth team, he was considered unable to play, and now, Malaga, a La Liga team, was promising him a starting position?

Reus looked at Livermore, expecting him to give a series of reasons about potential, but Livermore thought for a moment and shook his head.

"To be honest, I don't know either, but our head coach is very optimistic about you. The starting position is his promise, and only he can give it. This is a commitment that can be written into the contract." Livermore said.

In other words, if Malaga does not fulfill the commitment, Reus has the right to terminate the contract and leave.

"Exactly!"

Reus finally understood why his father wanted him to go to Spain. But...

"The head coach of Malaga?"

"Who?"

---

While Reus was still wondering who the head coach of Malaga was, another young man who was originally unwilling to leave Germany had already signed a preliminary agreement with Livermore.

Similarly abandoned, Gundogan could not be as calm as Reus. Reus had the absolute support of his family, and although he was released by Dortmund, he quickly found his place after a brief period of disappointment. For Dortmund, he wanted to say, "One day, I will come back." But Gundogan was different. His immigrant background played a role. Gundogan's father immigrated to Germany from the turbulent Turkey in the late 1970s. Although Germany is not a very xenophobic country, Gundogan's father taught him from a young age that the most direct way to earn respect is to prove that you deserve it.

So, what he wanted to say was, "One day, you will regret it." Revenge? Gundogan was not that sentimental. He just wanted to make Schalke realize that giving up on him was a mistake. And he would not give them a chance to make up for it. So, when the Schalke youth team tried to re-sign him for the second time, he chose to refuse.

People are different, and whether to repay kindness with kindness or to repay grievances with grievances is both understandable.

Invisibly, the two future stars, Red-White Aalen and Bochum, who had lost their targets, quickly shifted their focus. For them, this is something that happens in every transfer window, nothing unusual. The world of professional football is like this: the big fish eat the small fish, and this is especially true in the Bundesliga. In the Bundesliga, the biggest fish is Bayern Munich, and Bayern's practice of poaching from league rivals has almost become a tradition, but no one can complain. Just as the big fish do not feel guilty for eating the small fish, the small fish do not feel resentful for being eaten. It's just the law of survival.

Adapt or not, you have to adapt.

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