Chapter 225: Record-Breaking Transfers! Another Bayswater Chinese Club! The Middle Eastern Consortium Is Outrageously Wealthy
In recent years, the tactical trends across European football have undergone a significant transformation.
Some credit Yang Cheng and Bayswater Chinese Club for starting the wave.
Their back-to-back Champions League triumphs in 2008 and 2009 sent shockwaves across Europe—and the world—while also triggering a revolution in football tactics.
Others argue that Guardiola's Barcelona were the true trailblazers.
Even though Barça repeatedly fell short in Europe, their brand of possession-based football made a huge impression on the continent. Within the football community, both Guardiola and his Barça were held in high regard.
In truth, both perspectives have merit.
Yang Cheng never tried to claim all the credit. Whenever the topic came up, he would always praise Guardiola and Barça, urging fans and media alike not to judge greatness solely by results.
Ironically, this humility earned him even more praise—he came off as incredibly gracious.
But regardless of who started it, the trend reshaped the entire landscape of European football, especially in terms of player roles—defenders in particular.
First and foremost: center-backs' passing ability became a non-negotiable.
Traditional center-backs who crumbled under pressing and couldn't play out from the back were slowly pushed out by elite clubs.
In this evolution, Bayswater Chinese Club became the poster child.
Players like Thiago Silva, Pepe, and Kompany all excelled in ball-handling and distribution.
Full-backs? The Brazilian wave—Dani Alves, Maicon, Marcelo—swept through the elite clubs.
Suddenly, attacking ability had become a key requirement when scouting full-backs.
Defensive-minded or even balanced full-backs were falling out of favor.
In this tactical revolution, youth academies struggled to keep pace.
The result? A widespread defensive talent drought across Europe.
Put simply: good defenders were now rare.
Because expectations were higher.
Whereas defenders used to be judged primarily on defensive solidity—with attacking play being a bonus—now it was the bare minimum.
Modern defenders needed to defend, attack, and possess passing and technical qualities akin to midfielders.
Hence, in the elite-level transfer market, defenders became a premium commodity.
Last summer's tug-of-war between Manchester United and Chelsea over David Luiz was the perfect example.
Even though Luiz didn't immediately boost United's results, everyone could see he alleviated the pressure on their defense.
Which is why, this summer, ball-playing center-backs were in high demand again.
Bayern Munich, for instance, wanted to pry Jerome Boateng away from Manchester City.
But Ancelotti firmly refused.
Lúcio was already 33, and Boateng's talent was evident to all.
Yes, Bayern were a big club—but City had more cash.
Chelsea was now searching far and wide for defenders.
And with Middle Eastern money flowing into clubs like Liverpool, City, and now PSG, their spending power was overwhelming.
They were buying top players to instantly boost competitiveness.
And that was starting to destabilize the traditional giants.
There were only so many top players to go around.
When someone overpays and snatches one, it's one less available.
Also, the era when big clubs could just lift a finger and have players come running was over.
Take David Silva—Real Madrid had tried to sign him from Valencia.
He wanted to go. Valencia said no.
Now, he was at City. When Madrid came calling again?
He wasn't interested. He was happy at City—high salary, great perks, no reason to leave.
Or look at Fàbregas.
In Yang Cheng's past life, Barça lifted a finger and Fàbregas couldn't wait to return, even if it meant paying part of the fee himself.
Some fans even suspected that Fàbregas had intentionally made a mistake in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg—Barça's 3–1 win over Arsenal—to help his future club.
Was it a mistake? Or was it deliberate?
Only the player would know.
But in this life, none of that happened.
After a massive contract extension, Fàbregas committed fully to Arsenal—and helped them defeat Barcelona 2–1 in the Champions League final.
All of it proved that the magnetism of traditional giants was fading.
Especially now, with the Premier League rising fast.
The war for elite talent was only getting more intense.
Even clubs like Nice in Ligue 1 had to quickly establish their positioning within France and across Europe.
Yang Cheng and the Nice board had always viewed the club as a stepping-stone.
And in their first season after the acquisition, thanks to Yang Cheng and Bayswater's expertise, Nice secured a domestic double: Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.
Yes, Ligue 1 was weak, but the club had still overachieved.
The next step? Sell players at the right price, and bring in the next generation of talent.
That's the stepping-stone model: buy low, sell high.
But don't be fooled—it's not easy.
There's a lot of nuance.
Just look at Monaco from Yang Cheng's past life.
After selling Mbappé, Bernardo Silva, and Fabinho, they pocketed massive fees—only to nearly get relegated in 2018/19.
In 2017/18, they'd still finished second in Ligue 1.
Or look at Southampton in the Premier League.
They too had a golden era, produced a wave of talent, and then faded.
At its core, a successful stepping-stone club needs to operate on two fronts:
Externally, it needs a robust global scouting network—capable of identifying talent early and signing them before they become stars.
But everyone knows that maintaining such a network requires huge investments and elite-level personnel.
Even Sevilla, famous for their scouting, could only sustain it for a few years.
Internally, it needs top-tier youth development, state-of-the-art training facilities, and well-planned career paths for players—plus experienced coaches to guide them.
Take Ajax.
For emerging youth prospects, Ajax provided 1-on-1 coaching, refined their technique, and mapped out their careers with precision.
In Yang Cheng's original timeline, by 2024, the best stepping-stone clubs in Europe were capable of:
Planning a player's development over several years.Predicting first-team appearances.Estimating when and where the player would be sold.
That's why their players always seemed to get sold at peak value.
And no matter who they sold, their performance never dipped.
If Bayswater Chinese Club ever pivoted fully toward player development, they could do the same.
But that would require Yang Cheng's personal involvement, and there was no way it could coexist with their current level of competitiveness.
This wasn't how Yang Cheng envisioned Bayswater Chinese Club's role.
Nice might not be able to match that level—yet—but they were moving in that direction.
The hardest part is always the beginning.
That's why Yang Cheng needed to give them a push.
Not just with money and personnel, but also with strategic guidance and support.
…
"As for player transfers, you'll have full control this summer."
Yang Cheng placed his trust in Martin Harrison and Emmanuel Pellin.
This had always been his management style: trust those you employ, and don't employ those you doubt.
He no longer obsessed over famous names from his past life.
His own team was already full of talent—grown through experience.
"Do your best with negotiations. We believe in your capabilities."
Nice operated with a framework modeled after Bayswater's, with each department holding the others accountable. The Group served only as a supervisory body.
"For key signings, I'll personally step in if needed. And the Group will fully support you," Yang Cheng added.
After a pause, he thought for a moment.
"There's a right-back from relegated Lens named Serge Aurier, 18 years old from Ivory Coast. He should be easy to sign right now."
With Lens going down, players like Aurier would be open to a move.
"I know him—fast, physically strong," Pellin replied immediately.
As expected from someone with encyclopedic knowledge of Ligue 1 players—he knew the name right away.
That was his job as sporting director.
"Also, there's a young left-footed center-back at Partizan Belgrade—Matija Nastasić. Look into him."
Pellin's eyes lit up.
He'd heard stories about Yang Cheng's incredible memory for talented players, many of whom weren't even well-known yet.
Still young, not even on most scouts' radars—yet Yang Cheng always knew their names.
Rumor had it he'd spent countless hours watching scouting database videos and match footage, studying every detail.
Even Bayswater's head scout, Gary Worthington, couldn't match that.
"For next season, we'll need another striker. We only have Pelé. Choupo-Moting's contract at Hamburg is expiring. Reach out. Should be affordable."
"Choupo-Moting?" Pellin frowned.
Did Hamburg even have a player like that?
"Academy product. He's 22 now. Loaned to Nürnberg in 2009 and did well. Came back in 2010 but hasn't played much."
"This season, he made 10 appearances in the first half, scored twice in 375 minutes. But refused to renew his contract, so Hamburg banished him to the reserves in January."
"That's why most people outside Germany don't even know who he is."
Now everyone understood.
But the real question was—how did Yang Cheng know?
Even Pellin was baffled. Yang Cheng's assistants, Dan Ashworth and Mike Rigg, also exchanged looks of awe and shame.
They were supposed to be the scouting experts.
But next to Yang Cheng, they truly felt outclassed.
They knew they'd have to step up their game moving forward.
As for goalkeepers—if Ospina leaves, Nice will need a replacement.
The first name that popped into Yang Cheng's head? Oblak, the Slovenian keeper at Benfica.
But he quickly discarded the idea—€4 million was too steep for Nice.
"Albacete just got relegated to the Spanish third division. They have a Costa Rican international keeper, Keylor Navas. Cheap. Likely better than Ospina."
Yang Cheng estimated he could be signed for around €300,000.
Albacete wouldn't be able to hold on to players in their situation. No one wanted to play in the third tier.
"He's likely preparing for the Gold Cup with Costa Rica—move fast," Yang Cheng instructed.
Both Harrison and Pellin nodded immediately and promised to get in touch.
On the tactical side, Daley Blind had to be signed permanently.
The Ajax left-back had played on loan at Nice last season, and the club had a €1 million option to buy.
Given his performances and his close connection to Koeman, it was a no-brainer.
With Aurier, Nastasić, Keylor Navas, and Choupo-Moting lined up, Nice's overall strength would still be very competitive—possibly even stronger.
In midfield, if Matuidi leaves, Kanté would step up.
Add in Strootman, Jorginho, and Brozović, and Nice's midfield still looked solid.
With that, Yang Cheng felt reassured.
…
The 2011 European summer transfer window opened in a way no one expected.
After months of speculation, Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink officially signed with the Turkish national team.
He was leaving Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea immediately announced that André Villas-Boas, fresh off a treble with Porto, would be the new head coach.
Just 33 years old, Villas-Boas had once been Mourinho's assistant, but many now called him the "next Yang Cheng".
Both were young, brilliant, and had won major European trophies early.
At 33, Villas-Boas had just won the Europa League, making him the youngest coach after Yang Cheng to win a European title.
He arrived at Chelsea with immense expectations.
From Roman Abramovich, the players, to the fans—everyone hoped he would restore the glory of the Mourinho era.
Being Portuguese himself, Villas-Boas was also a huge fan of Sneijder.
"I'm convinced Sneijder will succeed at Chelsea," he declared upon arrival.
Meanwhile, Manchester United, having long targeted Sneijder to replace the retired Scholes, quickly pivoted.
They made a formal bid for Juan Mata of Valencia.
According to Spanish media, the opening offer was £25 million.
With Villas-Boas now in charge, Chelsea's transfer budget was rumored to exceed £100 million.
The Daily Mail reported that Abramovich's top targets included:
Neymar (Santos)Falcao (Porto)Moutinho (Sporting CP)
For defense, they wanted:
Van der Wiel (Ajax) at right-backDiego Godín (Atlético Madrid) and Mehdi Benatia (Nice) as center-backs
The first official signing of the Villas-Boas era?
Romelu Lukaku, the young Belgian striker from Anderlecht.
Chelsea paid a whopping £20 million for him.
They also signed Lucas Piazon from São Paulo—hailed as "the next Kaká."
In addition, Chelsea were also looking to sign Argentine star Javier Pastore from Palermo.
But there were simply too many clubs chasing him.
Similar complications arose in their pursuit of Brazilian wonderkid Neymar, from Santos.
Israeli agent Pini Zahavi revealed that Chelsea had made an offer of £40 million, but Santos still refused to sell.
"This transfer involves extremely complex factors. Signing Neymar in the short term is simply impossible."
Zahavi admitted that Chelsea's transfer efforts had hit a wall.
At the same time, Atlético Madrid, despite financial troubles, also rejected Chelsea's €15 million offer for center-back Diego Godín.
Why?
Because when Manchester City signed Stefan Savić from Partizan Belgrade for £12 million, the center-back market had already reached a boiling point.
City paid that much partly because they had to pry Savić away from Arsenal and Spurs.
Savić had already trialed with Arsenal, impressed Wenger, and was promised a contract. Spurs jumped in late with interest.
But City swooped in and sealed the deal—paying a premium.
After missing out on Savić, Arsenal turned to Werder Bremen's Per Mertesacker, signing the towering German defender for €15 million, or around £12 million.
With the Champions League trophy in hand, Wenger began spending aggressively.
First, Arsenal signed Mikel Arteta from Everton for £15 million, followed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton for another £15 million—both moves aimed at boosting squad depth.
Especially Arteta, who had already proven himself in the Premier League. He was seen as the perfect backup for Gourcuff and Fàbregas.
But the biggest deal?
Arsenal beat Barcelona in the race to sign Chilean winger Alexis Sánchez from Udinese.
The bidding war escalated quickly, especially after Chelsea and Liverpool joined in, pushing the fee to an astonishing £35 million (€43.75 million).
That's a staggering amount for a player who had yet to shine in the Champions League.
But the Gunners won the battle and brought Sánchez to the Emirates.
Wenger also poached right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus for €15 million, or £12 million.
After so many key signings, Arsenal's strength increased dramatically—though several players were also offloaded.
Denílson, Carlos Vela, Emmanuel Eboué, and Nicklas Bendtner were all sold.
This flurry of moves made it crystal clear: Wenger and Arsenal were going all in for the Premier League title.
…
Ferguson had similar ambitions at Manchester United.
After missing out on Sneijder, United upped their offer for Juan Mata and eventually signed the Spaniard from Valencia for £30 million (€37.5 million).
Meanwhile, United had long pursued Phil Jones from Blackburn—but suddenly faced competition from Liverpool.
United had agreed a deal at £18 million, but Liverpool swooped in with £22 million.
Ferguson, who greatly admired Jones, especially his fiery spirit, wasn't about to lose him.
He personally visited Jones' home and convinced him to join United—upping the offer to £25 million, which sealed the deal.
Even more shocking? United offered Jones a salary of £80,000 per week.
For a 19-year-old, that number was outrageous.
The media quickly slammed Ferguson, pointing out his past criticisms of City and Chelsea for inflating wages.
Now United were doing the same.
Still, being the British press, no one dared question whether Phil Jones was actually worth £25 million and £80k per week.
After that, United finalized their third big signing: David de Gea from Atlético Madrid for £25 million.
Phil Jones, Juan Mata, and David de Gea—the three transfers cost United a total of £80 million (€100 million).
Meanwhile, they'd only made around €10 million from selling players like O'Shea, Obertan, and Hargreaves.
This essentially meant United had no budget left to go after Pastore or Agüero, or even Ferguson's long-coveted striker.
Liverpool, after missing out on both Phil Jones and Sánchez, redirected their efforts.
They spent £25 million on Stewart Downing from Aston Villa, and £20 million on Jordan Henderson from Sunderland.
Next up? A center-back.
…
Even before the summer transfer window officially opened, everyone agreed there were two main candidates for the biggest transfer fee of the summer.
One: Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore—often called "the next Kaká"—from Palermo.
The other: Atlético Madrid forward Sergio Agüero.
Both South American stars had proven their quality.
Both were on the radar of Europe's elite.
Pastore had Juventus, Inter, Milan, Chelsea, Liverpool, United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona all after him.
Agüero? Even more demand.
Real Madrid were desperate to sign him, with City, Liverpool, and Chelsea also circling.
The world watched closely.
Despite the flurry of activity from Premier League giants, these two remained silent—no confirmed transfers yet.
Then came June 27.
Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini gave an exclusive to the press, dropping a bombshell:
"Pastore will be transferred within two days, and the fee will be a shocking record."
"This will be the highest number seen in this transfer market!"
The media exploded. Fans buzzed with excitement.
Was it Chelsea? Real Madrid?
Was he heading to the Premier League or La Liga?
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, L'Équipe broke the news:
Among all the clubs chasing "the next Kaká," the late-surging dark horse was PSG.
Recently purchased by the Qatari Investment Authority, Paris Saint-Germain beat out all the Premier League and La Liga giants—signing Pastore for €50 million.
"This is a sky-high fee that no one could refuse!"
And with that, Javier Pastore overtook Alexis Sánchez to become the most expensive signing of the summer!
The entire European football world was stunned.
When PSG was taken over by the Qatari consortium, everyone expected big signings—but no one imagined they could go toe-to-toe with Europe's elite and snatch away a rising star like Pastore right from under their noses.
Not just Europe—France was in shock.
Countless Ligue 1 fans cheered PSG's extravagant spending.
But as soon as Pastore's signing was officially announced, Spanish media broke another bombshell: Atlético Madrid's Sergio Agüero would be transferred to Manchester City for €55 million, surpassing Pastore's record fee.
The Sky Blues had stunned the world again.
But that wasn't even the most outrageous part.
What truly shocked everyone was that, after signing Agüero, Manchester City's squad still featured Ibrahimović, Adebayor, Robinho, Tévez, and Bellamy—six attackers.
And that's without mentioning Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kaká, David Silva—world-class offensive firepower.
Ancelotti had an absurd amount of resources at his disposal.
So City began cleaning house: shipping out players at discount prices.
Yes—literally discounting them.
Bellamy went to Liverpool on a free transfer.
Adebayor was sold to Tottenham for £10 million.
His market value? At least £20 million—sold at half price.
Why?
Because he hadn't played much recently, and top clubs didn't trust him anymore.
Or more accurately, the Premier League's rich clubs didn't bother picking up leftovers.
Which gave Spurs the perfect opening.
Chairman Daniel Levy was over the moon—this was the kind of deal you dream about.
But the most extravagant move?
From 2008 to now, the Abu Dhabi consortium had invested staggering sums into Manchester City.
Forget the inflated sponsorships—on the books alone, City owed £350 million in debt to the owners.
So when the Premier League and UEFA started tightening financial regulations this season, City made a bold move: they announced a debt-to-equity swap, wiping out £350 million in liabilities overnight.
Compared to that, Agüero's €55 million fee was nothing.
…
After PSG's €50 million signing of Pastore, Ligue 1 was rocked to its core.
The Qatari consortium's spending spree had officially begun.
Besides Pastore, PSG also:
Signed Thiago Motta from Inter for €12 millionAcquired Kevin Gameiro from Lorient for €11 millionBought Momo Sissoko from Juventus for €8 millionSnatched Alex from ChelseaPicked up Maxwell from BarcelonaSigned forward Jérémy Ménez from Roma
For a club that had finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season, not even qualifying for the Europa League, only massive investment could close the gap.
After landing Pastore, PSG and Nice issued a joint statement:
Anthony Réveillère, former France international right-back, transferred to PSG from Nice for €6 million.Goalkeeper David Ospina and winger Anthony Mounier also joined PSG from Nice for a combined €19 million.Three transfers, €25 million total.
The French media and fans were stunned.
But even bigger moves were coming.
After long negotiations, PSG signed Ligue 1 MVP Blaise Matuidi from Nice for €35 million!
The Chilean star who led Nice to a domestic double was finally gone.
Throughout the talks, Nice's negotiation team—led by Martin Harrison and Emmanuel Pellin—emphasized that Matuidi had cost €20 million just last year.
And after a sensational season, his value had only gone up.
He was now a France international and had captained a title-winning side. That alone boosted his price tag.
For the Qatari consortium, this move wasn't just about building a squad—it was strategic PR for Qatar and the upcoming 2022 World Cup.
That's why they originally targeted Bayswater Chinese Club and Manchester United.
When those deals fell through, they turned to PSG—and started spending wildly to draw global attention.
At the same time, they needed to win over local fans.
€35 million for Matuidi was a statement of intent.
But they weren't done.
After signing four players from Nice, PSG returned again—this time for center-back Mehdi Benatia.
Benatia, a dual national of Morocco and France, had joined Nice on a free transfer from Clermont in 2010 and quickly became a defensive mainstay.
His market valuation? €8.5 million.
But everyone knew that wouldn't cut it—especially in a market where top center-backs were scarce.
PSG acted first, offering €10 million, hoping to get a bargain.
Barcelona had initially wanted Jan Vertonghen from Ajax—but Ajax wanted €30 million for a player worth only €15 million.
So Barça shifted their attention.
Upon hearing about PSG's offer, they immediately raised theirs to €13 million.
Chelsea followed, offering €15 million.
PSG matched it.
At that point, most thought the deal was done—from €8.5 million to €15 million was already a good return.
Even Martin Harrison was ready to accept Chelsea's offer.
Then came the bombshell.
Spanish media revealed Guardiola had personally asked Barça to sign Benatia.
"Guardiola believes the Moroccan international is the ideal solution to Barça's defensive crisis. He's great on the ball, a strong passer, and physically imposing,"
reported Sport.
Nice's board immediately paused talks with Chelsea.
Within half a day, Barça raised their offer to €25 million.
Guardiola was determined.
In today's European football landscape, quality center-backs were vanishingly rare.
Even though Benatia had only just begun to shine, and had only had one standout season, that was already more than enough.
What's more, Catalan media revealed that Guardiola had personally called Ronald Koeman to ask about Benatia, confirming that the Moroccan center-back was the player Barça needed.
But just as Barça seemed determined to seal the deal, everyone overlooked one key fact: the decision-making team behind Chelsea's transfers was also Dutch.
And they knew exactly how good Benatia was.
Chelsea raised their offer again—to €30 million!
Along with that, Chelsea's agent Pini Zahavi leaked a message to the press:
"This will be Chelsea's final offer!"
Coincidentally, Barça and Liverpool both immediately matched Chelsea's €30 million bid.
Nice didn't say a word. They accepted all three offers and left it to the player and his agents to decide.
According to French reports, negotiations with Barça and Liverpool weren't going well.
Chelsea, on the other hand—having missed out on David Luiz, and after being forced to sell Alex—were now desperate for a top-class center-back.
So they offered better personal terms.
In the end, Benatia officially joined Chelsea for €30 million.
He became the club's next big signing after Lukaku, Piazon, and Romeu.
What made it sweeter was that, after repeatedly losing out on stars like Alexis Sánchez, Agüero, and Pastore, Chelsea finally landed a big win—and beat Barcelona to it.
Then, right after completing the Benatia deal, Chelsea struck again—signing Gregory van der Wiel from Ajax for €30 million, or £25.6 million.
A shocking fee for a Dutch full-back.
Everyone was stunned.
No one could believe a right-back could fetch that kind of money.
No one knew who at Chelsea made that call.
Dutch media revealed that van der Wiel had also attracted interest from Arsenal, Manchester United, and others.
Before signing, he had flown to London to negotiate with Chelsea—his presence was leaked when he posted his flight ticket on Twitter, drawing the media's attention.
In addition, Chelsea paid £20 million to Porto for left-back Álvaro Pereira of Uruguay.
With Ashley Cole's form declining after his divorce, Villas-Boas pushed hard to bring in his trusted man.
From Benatia, van der Wiel, to Álvaro Pereira—Chelsea spent £68 million to rebuild their back line, making it younger and more dynamic.
The whole of Europe took notice.
While everyone was focused on PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City and their massive transfer fees, Nice quietly made several moves of their own.
The Ligue 1 champions first signed Choupo-Moting from Hamburg on a free transfer.
Then they bought Keylor Navas from relegated Albacete for just €300,000.
Interestingly, Ronald Koeman wasn't initially keen on Navas—he thought he was too short.
But shortly after the transfer, Navas lit up the Gold Cup, impressing everyone with his performances.
Koeman quickly changed his opinion.
And he had to re-evaluate Bayswater Chinese Club's scouting system.
Finding a gem like Navas from a relegated Segunda División team wasn't something that could happen without a world-class scouting network.
After selling Clerc, Nice picked up Serge Aurier from relegated Lens for €1 million.
Then they signed Matija Nastasić from Partizan Belgrade for €2 million.
Ever since Yang Cheng signed Modrić years ago, he had steadily brought in Eastern European talent like Matić and Džeko, giving Bayswater deep influence in Croatia, Serbia, and across the Balkans.
This time, the Nastasić deal saw Nice beat out Fiorentina, who had matched the same €2 million bid.
Fiorentina wouldn't go higher than €2.5 million, but Nice sealed the deal for just €2 million, thanks to their local scouting ties.
Having sold five core players, including the Ligue 1 MVP, Nice earned €90 million in transfer income.
Yet, they only spent €3.3 million on signings.
They weren't even the top sellers in Europe.
Clubs like Atlético Madrid and Genoa sold more players and brought in higher revenue.
Atlético, for instance, spent big on Falcao (€40 million) and Arda Turan (€12 million).
Genoa wasn't as aggressive but still brought in 19 new players, spending over €20 million.
But Nice's spending-to-profit ratio was unheard of.
€90 million in sales, just €3.3 million in spending—it was hard not to think of the team behind it all.
They looked like another Bayswater Chinese Club.
But without Yang Cheng, how could they hope to challenge PSG next season?
Some French media even accused the Chinese consortium of being opportunists, just looking to make a quick profit.
Just the upfront payments from those sales could cover Nice's new training complex and contribute to the city-led stadium project.
Still, Emmanuel Pellin remained confident.
"Yes, we sold five key players. But we're still aiming to challenge for the Ligue 1 title next season."
French media and many fans scoffed.
Ligue 1 might be weak, but with PSG's Qatari-backed spending, how could a team like Nice hope to win with such minimal investment?
Meanwhile, in the Premier League, there was another club doing things differently.
As City, United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea all launched massive transfer campaigns, Bayswater Chinese Club stayed quiet.
After Barcelona failed to sign Fàbregas, and Liverpool missed out on Pastore, both clubs turned to Rakitić, submitting bids—up to €40 million.
Yang Cheng rejected them all.
The club followed protocol—informing Rakitić's agent about the rejected offers from the two giants—and invited them to discuss a contract renewal.
But things didn't go as smoothly as expected.
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