Starting With Real Madrid

Athletic Bilbao is one of the most unique clubs in world football.

They have a peculiar tradition: they only sign Basque players.

With the implementation of the Bosman ruling, player movement across Europe has become more fluid, and most clubs build their competitiveness around this reality. Yet, a few clubs, like Athletic Bilbao, have maintained their distinct identity. The remarkable part? Despite their restrictive policy, they have never been relegated and continue to be highly competitive in La Liga, a testament to the strength of their system.

This also highlights just how exceptional the Basque region's youth development is.

Because of their homegrown-only policy, Athletic Bilbao has never been keen on selling their players.

Before Gao Shen's time-traveling experience, the Basque club was infamous for being "penalty clause specialists."

What does that mean?

If you wanted to sign a player from Athletic Bilbao, the only way was to trigger their release clause.

And in the years following Gao Shen's arrival in this timeline, Bilbao took things a step further—completely removing release clauses for some of their key players.

In other words, even if you wanted to negotiate, there was nothing to negotiate.

All these strange policies made Athletic Bilbao a mystery to outsiders. Yet, within La Liga, they were known for their fearless, aggressive style of play, a team that was always tough to face.

…

"When did you manage to convince Athletic Bilbao?" Valdano asked, his curiosity piqued.

Everyone knew how difficult Bilbao was to deal with—they were like a hedgehog at the negotiating table.

"I called Jon Berasategi," Gao Shen replied with a grin.

Jon Berasategi was Athletic Bilbao's general manager.

"That's it?"

"What else?" Gao Shen countered.

After a brief pause, he chuckled. "There's only one reason a transfer fails: not enough money."

"As long as you pay up, even Messi would have to get on his knees!"

The moment he said this, Zidane, Valdano, Butragueño, and Lucas burst into laughter.

"Damn, Gao, have you been drinking too much Middle Eastern oil? Why do you sound like a billionaire now?"

"Seriously! I almost don't recognize you anymore."

"Men really do change once they have money!"

Even Gao Shen couldn't help but laugh. He had only been joking to lighten the mood.

But the truth was—he wasn't wrong.

Professional football was, at its core, a money game.

With enough money, any player could be signed.

Even if Manchester City wanted to buy Messi, wasn't it possible?

€150 million not enough? Then how about €200 million?

The key, of course, was spending wisely.

Because throwing money at superstars didn't necessarily guarantee trophies.

To win titles, a team needed cohesion and balance not just big names.

…

"How much did you pay Athletic Bilbao?" Butragueño asked, clearly interested.

"€20 million—paid directly to trigger Javi Martínez's release clause."

Valdano and the others exchanged glances, nodding in agreement.

The price was high, no doubt, but there was no way around it.

At the moment, Javi Martínez's market value was around €10 million, and a €20 million buyout was fairly reasonable.

Back in the summer of 2007, Liverpool had already tried to sign him. The offer at the time? €20 million, the same as now. The difference was that Martínez had improved significantly over the past two years.

By securing him at the same price, they had actually gotten a bargain.

Had they waited longer and allowed him to renew his contract, Bilbao would have raised his release clause, making a future transfer even more expensive.

Even now, despite paying the release clause, they still had to formally negotiate with Bilbao.

Why?

Because under La Liga rules, a player who triggers their release clause must go to the league headquarters in person to complete the process.

If Manchester City wanted to trigger Javi Martínez's release clause, they first had to transfer the money directly to his personal account.

This process would create tax complications, as the transfer would be considered personal income, subject to taxation.

In a way, this was why Athletic Bilbao was comfortable including release clauses in their contracts, it aligned perfectly with their hard-nosed, no-negotiation approach.

And it also explained why Gao Shen had spent a few extra days in Barcelona after arriving in Spain.

He wasn't just on vacation, he was working behind the scenes.

…

But Javi Martínez wasn't the only player Gao Shen secured during his time in Spain.

He had also completed another signing.

That player was Filipe Luís, the Brazilian left-back from Deportivo La Coruña.

Manchester City had three left-backs: Wayne Bridge, Javier Garrido, and Michael Ball.

But under Gao Shen's standards, only Bridge was barely usable. The other two were completely out of the picture, and both were offloaded this summer.

To replace them, Gao Shen signed Filipe Luís from Deportivo La Coruña for a hefty €15 million fee.

Back when he was coaching Real Madrid, Filipe Luís was a player he had highly rated. But after being overlooked by Real Madrid, the Brazilian moved to Deportivo instead.

At Super Depor, Filipe Luís became a mainstay, playing almost every match. When Gao Shen reached out to Deportivo, they quickly reached an agreement and after a single phone call, Filipe Luís immediately agreed to join Manchester City.

Clearly, he still had fond memories of their time together at Real Madrid.

Gao Shen vaguely remembered that Filipe Luís had suffered a serious leg injury at some point while at Deportivo. But the exact timing of the injury was unclear in his memory.

Looking at the present situation, it either hadn't happened yet, or his presence had altered history.

Either way, Filipe Luís had been outstanding for Deportivo and most importantly, he hadn't suffered any major injuries. He was even better than when Gao Shen first rated him at Real Madrid.

A player of his quality for just €15 million?

What a bargain!

…

With Javi Martínez and Filipe Luís now signed, Gao Shen's Manchester City squad was nearly complete.

Only one name remained on his transfer list.

…

"Alright, tell me—who do you have your eye on at Real Madrid?"

The dinner had lasted two to three hours, with football dominating the conversation.

As the evening wound down, Valdano decided to ask the most pressing question.

"I knew I couldn't hide anything from you, Jorge." Gao Shen grinned.

"Don't try to flatter me. We all figured out that you were asking for consulting fees just now." Valdano smirked.

They all suspected that Gao Shen had his sights set on another young Real Madrid talent.

After all, when he was coaching Napoli, he had raided Real Madrid for Callejón and Parejo.

That transfer had been controversial. In fact, Di Stéfano had even suggested to Florentino Pérez that Real Madrid should buy back Parejo.

Why?

Because Di Stéfano was a huge admirer of Parejo's talent.

And to be fair, Gao Shen's track record with young players was undeniable.

Under his coaching at Napoli, both Callejón and Parejo had made tremendous strides. Their performances had been steadily improving, and their potential was obvious.

If not for Napoli's abundance of talent, they would have already secured starting spots.

This summer, with Biglia, Thiago Motta, and Rakitic leaving, Napoli's midfield was undergoing a major reshuffle. That meant Parejo and Callejón would have plenty of opportunities.

Real Madrid had already spoken to them but neither seemed eager to return this year.

…

"If I'm not mistaken, you're planning to offload a few players, raise some funds, and free up some wage space, right?" Gao Shen glanced at the three Real Madrid executives.

Zidane, Valdano, and Butragueño exchanged looks.

They knew there was no point in denying it.

"Just say it." Valdano leaned forward.

"Robben."

"Robben?"

The three of them were visibly surprised.

Robben was a well-known maverick in European football. Was Gao Shen really interested in him?

More importantly, Manchester City had already spent an astronomical amount of money this summer.

"If I'm not mistaken, your spending has already exceeded €200 million—between Javi Martínez, David Silva, and Filipe Luís, right?" Zidane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"€215 million," Lucas corrected from the side.

As Manchester City's chief analyst, he was razor-sharp with numbers.

That figure shocked Zidane and the others.

€215 million? Gao Shen was practically building an entirely new squad!

Of course, this wasn't entirely his fault.

The previous manager, Mark Hughes, had made some questionable signings, and his squad planning was outdated. His recruitment strategy simply didn't align with modern football's demands.

Just six months earlier, in the January transfer window, Manchester City had spent over €100 million.

And what did they get in return?

Nothing special.

Now, Gao Shen had spent even more—but at least this time, the squad was actually improving. Every signing was made with a clear tactical plan.

At the very least, Manchester City now had the talent to be a legitimate Premier League title contender.

…

"Alright, you're right," Valdano admitted. "We are selling Robben. We've already been in talks with a few clubs. How much are you offering?"

"€20 million."

The three Real Madrid executives exchanged knowing glances and couldn't help but smirk.

This guy really wasn't afraid to lowball.

"Gao, do you even know how much Robben is worth right now?"

"Of course. Around €30 million."

"Then do you know how much Real Madrid paid to sign him?"

"€36 million."

"Exactly. And you expect us to sell him to you for €20 million?" Valdano shook his head. "Be serious."

"Oh, I am serious. Because right now, Robben is a negative asset for Real Madrid."

"Do you really think he'll be happy staying here if he's not a guaranteed starter?

"And do you really think it's smart to keep him on high wages, only to watch his value depreciate further?"

Valdano frowned. "You do realize he's only 25 years old, right?"

That was the prime age for a footballer.

But Gao Shen found it amusing.

Robben had been around for so long that people thought of him as an older player.

Plus, his injury record made him seem even older than he was.

In reality?

He was just 25.

"So, what's your final price?" Gao Shen asked.

"At least €30 million." Valdano was firm.

Gao Shen chuckled. "So, I guess there's nothing left to discuss?"

(To be continued.)

***

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