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Chapter 76: Chance with Milan ?
Balmond's efficiency in work is highly reliable, and news quickly followed one after another. Firstly, regarding endorsements, Wang Feng eventually finalized a three-year �2.4 million endorsement contract with Nike. For this, after the start of the new season, Wang Feng needs to find time to shoot a series of promotional photos for Nike.
At the same time, due to the exclusive endorsement contract signed with Nike, the previous three-year contract Wang Feng signed with Scapa was also bought out by Nike, with Nike paying Scapa �50,000.
Another matter is the transfer negotiations with Deportivo La Coru?a. In the end, Deportivo offered a one-year contract worth �1.8 million, plus a �100,000 signing bonus, with additional bonuses for goals and performance.
Wang Feng is quite satisfied with this treatment. While at Genk, Wang Feng could earn approximately �1.4 million per year. After the transfer, although there wasn't a significant increase in salary, being able to play in La Liga and the Champions League fulfilled one of his major wishes.
Currently, Genk and Deportivo La Coru?a are also in preliminary contact. Wang Feng is also satisfied with Deportivo's offer, making this three-party deal highly promising.
Before the contract is formally signed, no one will easily reveal the news. However, there are no secrets in the world, and soon the news that Wang Feng will be transferring to La Liga, joining Deportivo, spread like wildfire.
Genk's fans remain calm because they know, with Wang Feng's abilities, he couldn't stay at Genk, a small team, forever. Many fans left messages online expressing gratitude for Wang Feng's hard work over the past two years in Genk.
However, at this moment, Francisco Balmond called Wang Feng: "Wang, there have been some changes. Come to my hotel, I'll introduce you to a few people, and then we'll talk."
Wang Feng, after hanging up the phone, appeared somewhat puzzled but still went to the hotel as instructed. In Balmond's room, there were three people. Wang Feng recognized one of them at a glance, Javier Zanetti, the captain of Inter Milan.
Balmond introduced the other two to Wang Feng: "This is Massimo Moratti, the chairman of Inter Milan, and this is Inter Milan's newly appointed head coach, Hector Cooper."
Wang Feng was greatly surprised. The white-haired man in front of him turned out to be the chairman of the prestigious Inter Milan! Moratti reached out and shook hands with Wang Feng, then said, "Very pleased to meet you, Wang."
"I was planning to visit you, but I was worried about the media causing chaos if they spotted us, so I had to ask you to come to the hotel." freewebnovel.c om
"I brought the head coach and team captain together to show our determination to sign you. Come to Inter Milan. I believe this is the best choice for both of us."
Wang Feng had never expected that the oil magnate from Italy, the chairman of the powerhouse Inter Milan, would personally come to Belgium to invite him!
At this moment, Cooper approached, shaking hands with Wang Feng: "I fully agree with Mr. Moratti's idea. After watching many of your match videos, I already have some understanding of you. In the new season, Inter Milan will build an attacking system around you."
This coach's resume was also impressive, leading Mallorca to the UEFA Cup final and guiding Valencia to the UEFA Champions League final twice.
Zanetti chimed in: "Wang, the atmosphere in Inter Milan's dressing room is also very good. I believe you will quickly adapt and integrate. Join us and create our legend together."
Wang Feng's mind was still somewhat overwhelmed. Balmond stepped forward to mediate, saying, "Let's all sit down and talk."
Once everyone was seated, Moratti expressed his determination to sign Wang Feng: "I heard Deportivo La Coru?a and Genk are in contact, so I rushed over personally. I'm willing to pay a �20 million transfer fee for you, and we can discuss personal terms separately."
Moratti also mentioned that the team had experienced a low point last season, only finishing fifth in the league, which was unacceptable. Therefore, the club decided to strengthen the team, and Wang Feng was their first choice.
"The newly appointed coach, Hector, after seeing your performance, strongly recommended signing you."
Wang Feng expressed his pleasant surprise: "I'm truly honored that all three of you came to Genk to invite me. To be honest, I feel your sincere intentions. Inter Milan is a historic powerhouse football club, and I believe any player would be proud to join such a team."
"However," Wang Feng's tone changed, "I'm very concerned about whether I can adapt to the high-intensity matches in Serie A and perform well at Inter Milan."
He still worried that his initial performance might not meet expectations. As an eighteen-year-old youngster, if he couldn't earn the trust and reliance of the head coach, it would be difficult for him to make a breakthrough.
Cooper said, "Don't be scared by external evaluations, Wang. Your physical ability to compete is already at a mid-level in Serie A, and I've heard you're still practicing hard, which will help you progress faster."
"As for whether you can stand firm, I promise you, I will give you enough playing time and room to grow." Cooper understood Wang Feng's concerns and added, "We aim to develop you as the heir to Ronaldo."
Moratti chimed in, "Yes, Wang. Hector's promise is the club's promise. In the new season, Ronaldo will assist you. After you fully adapt, we will sell him, and you will become the team's attacking core."
In fact, Moratti had long wanted to sell Ronaldo. He was tired of the frequent injuries of the "Phenomenon." Even without Wang Feng, he would have sold this renowned star no later than next summer. It was rumored that Real Madrid was interested in using stars to build a "Galacticos" team, which might be of interest to the "Phenomenon."
But this didn't stop him from using this rhetoric to win over the heart of the young talent before him. Indeed, Wang Feng's heart was like a surging wave upon hearing Moratti's words. That was the World Footballer, the legendary Ronaldo, known as the "Phenomenon," because his football skills were simply too high!
Inter Milan's sincerity moved Wang Feng. Originally, he hadn't considered playing in Serie A, but now he had to reassess its feasibility.
Next, Cooper discussed many tactical arrangements for Inter Milan in the new season with Wang Feng. It could be seen that Cooper had indeed studied Wang Feng's playing style seriously and designed many threatening attacking tactics for him.
Wang Feng resisted the impulse to agree on the spot and solemnly stated that he would consider it carefully, then returned to his residence absent-mindedly. As a young player, every career choice was crucial to his future destiny.
Football clubs were not charitable organizations. Despite their current promising words, if one day he became an obstacle to Inter Milan's achievements, they would undoubtedly kick him away without hesitation. This was the rule of professional leagues.
Wang Feng, deeply conflicted, began to search for information about Inter Milan again. Their frontline boasted the likes of Alvaro Recoba, the Uruguayan Footballer of the Year in 1999, Christian Vieri, former La Liga top scorer, Ivan Zamorano, the Chilean football icon, and the world-renowned Ronaldo. Their lineup depth was no less than that of Bayern Munich.
However, Inter Milan's sincerity towards Wang Feng far exceeded that of Bayern. While Bayern's frontline had already proven its strength, bringing in Wang Feng was for talent reserve purposes. On the other hand, Inter Milan's frontline talents had not achieved remarkable results, hence the club's desire for Wang Feng to replace them.