Chapter 264: You Know It—The Little Lion's My Brother, and Zlatan's a Beast
The contract dispute between Kroos and Bayern had long since become public knowledge in football circles.
And it wasn't a story that had just broken this season.
As far back as the previous Bundesliga campaign, even before it had ended, word was already spreading that Bayern's higher-ups and Kroos' representatives had hit a stalemate in renewal talks.
A midfield genius like Kroos—who'd broken through at a young age and established himself as a starter at a European powerhouse—was always on the radar of top clubs from the big four leagues.
But last season, only one club made a serious move to actually try and sign him away from Bayern: Manchester United.
Everyone else was still watching, waiting.
Because every year there's a handful of "wonderkid rejects new deal" stories, and most come down to salary disputes.
But Bayern? They were a massive club. Giving Kroos a contract that matched his worth should have been a no-brainer.
That's what most big clubs assumed during the summer window—that Bayern's execs wouldn't be stupid enough to let him go.
Kroos wasn't some greedy mercenary. He wasn't demanding more than what he was worth.
He knew his value. Pay the man what he's earned, and he'll stay.
Kroos himself probably thought that too.
He'd proven himself.
He just wanted a fair extension.
Instead, Bayern's top brass responded with arrogance—and a renewal offer of just €6 million per year.
That offer slapped him in the face.
Kroos, a no-nonsense East German, was never going to take that kind of disrespect.
He rejected the deal on the spot.
Honestly, if United's board hadn't been so stingy last summer, Sir Alex might have brought him to Old Trafford already.
After that fallout, all communication between Kroos and Bayern's leadership essentially collapsed.
During the 2013–2014 season, Kroos remained a starter at Bayern.
Not even Götze could bench him. The former Dortmund golden boy was mostly rotated on the flanks.
But even as a key player, helping Bayern win the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League…
All Kroos got from the board was a slightly "less insulting" contract offer: €6.5 million per year.
As the midfield core of a treble-winning side, that was almost degrading.
What, one more season of elite-level football and he's only worth an extra half a million?
No wonder he was done with them.
Originally, Kroos and his agent had planned to wait until a week after the season ended before going public with his desire to leave.
But now that Li Ang had personally reached out—representing Mourinho and Chelsea—the situation changed.
And just one day after that call, Mourinho and Chelsea's negotiation team flew straight to Munich.
This was a surgical strike.
Li Ang was dragged along too—no chance to stay behind.
It was business and personal, both at once.
Kroos was a bit stunned.
He'd always thought of Mourinho as the type of old-school, stick-to-the-rules kind of manager.
But the real Mourinho? Direct. Passionate. Effective.
And above all—respectful.
Just like Li Ang had said in his message.
Bayern's top brass had disrespected him.
At Chelsea? They were offering both money and respect.
Make no mistake—Mourinho had been eyeing Kroos ever since his final season at Real Madrid.
But at the time, Heynckes had made it crystal clear he wouldn't let Kroos go, so Mourinho backed off.
Now that Heynckes had retired and the rift between Kroos and the board was widening, it was the perfect time to strike.
Players of Kroos' caliber and age don't come along often.
And this summer, Abramovich had already given Mourinho the green light to spend big.
So after Li Ang helped break the ice, Mourinho simply couldn't wait.
He flew to Munich himself, armed with a proposal—and a vision for Kroos' tactical role.
With Li Ang there to persuade from the side, Mourinho was confident Kroos couldn't resist the chance to chase a treble alongside his old friend.
The salary negotiations were surprisingly easy.
Kroos' agent tentatively asked for a minimum of €10 million per year.
Chelsea immediately countered with a £175,000 weekly wage, post-tax, with performance bonuses on top.
That's nearly €11.5 million net.
It was generous enough to make Kroos' agent forget any hesitation.
Chelsea's only real weakness was their lack of pedigree compared to "traditional" European powerhouses.
Kroos' agent had initially considered waiting to see what offers came in from the likes of Madrid or Barcelona.
But with that kind of offer on the table, he just couldn't say no.
In terms of salary and role, Chelsea had made their respect clear.
Chelsea's negotiators stayed in Munich for follow-up talks.
Mourinho returned to London—he had other sales and transfers to oversee.
Li Ang stuck around for another day, then boarded a flight home to China.
He had a busy summer lined up—commercial appearances, fan meetups, sponsorship obligations.
Four days after saying goodbye to Li Ang, and after lengthy talks with his family and agent, Kroos finally gave his answer:
"If Chelsea and Bayern reach an agreement, I'm in. No issues on my end."
Mourinho was thrilled.
Nothing had been signed, but there was a clear understanding.
Officially, Kroos was still a Bayern player.
And Bayern had yet to greenlight the transfer.
Until they agreed to sit down and negotiate, Chelsea still had rivals to worry about.
Madrid and United were both circling, and Kroos wasn't under contract with Chelsea yet.
So as Mourinho cleaned house, offloading unwanted players, he kept pressing the board to close the deal quickly.
Under normal circumstances, a player with just one year left on his contract would be a prime target for a lowball offer.
But Chelsea didn't want to take chances.
They opened with a bid that signaled serious intent.
And in early June, the rumors exploded.
Chelsea had officially submitted an offer for Toni Kroos.
Immediately, Madrid and Manchester United followed with their own bids—both reportedly around €30 million.
Bayern responded with an official denial, trying to calm their fans.
They claimed no formal offers had been received.
But everyone in the industry knew:
The race for Kroos had just begun.
"Contract renewal negotiations are progressing smoothly; both sides are engaged in positive dialogue…"
That was the official line Bayern Munich posted to their Twitter account in an attempt to prove things were going well with Kroos.
But the media, those in the know, weren't buying it.
Sports outlets across Europe continued dropping scoop after scoop linking Kroos to major clubs.
His transfer saga had become the unofficial opening act to the summer's blockbuster transfer window.
Rooney, Suárez, Diego Costa, Thomas Müller, Cristiano Ronaldo…
One star name after another splashed across the headlines.
Fans were so drawn in by these dramatic transfer stories that they briefly forgot the World Cup in Brazil was just days away.
Then, on June 10th, two days before the World Cup kicked off, came the first truly seismic piece of transfer news:
Chelsea and Bayern Munich had reached an agreement—Toni Kroos was heading to London.
According to Bild, the agreed fee was €35 million, paid in full, no installments.
That sum surpassed the previously rumored bids of €30 million from both Real Madrid and Manchester United.
By market standards, Chelsea had pulled off a steal.
After all, this was the midfield lynchpin for both Bayern Munich and the German national team.
Normally, Bayern wouldn't even pick up the phone for less than €50 million.
But when a player only has a year left on his contract—and is clearly done with the club's management—your hands are tied.
Everyone knew Kroos and Bayern's execs were done.
Given that, Chelsea offering €35 million instead of lowballing was a sign of genuine goodwill.
The only strange part was the timing of the announcement.
Most deals of this magnitude wait until after the World Cup is over.
Some German outlets later revealed that Bayern's top brass had tried one last time to reopen talks with Kroos—
But he was completely unreachable.
Rummenigge still wanted a conversation.
But Uli Hoeneß stepped in with a hardline approach that torpedoed any chance of reconciliation.
Both sides dug in, unwilling to back down. The result? Inevitable.
Over in China, Li Ang shook his head when he heard the news.
He couldn't understand why Bayern's board had to be so stubborn.
If it was really about Kroos being East German and that led to internal discrimination?
That would be beyond ridiculous.
Still, with Kroos now officially a Chelsea player, Li Ang had no interest in dissecting Bayern's internal politics.
He picked up the phone and welcomed his new teammate with a warm call.
With the World Cup schedule in mind, he quickly wrapped up his summer marketing appearances.
Just in time—before the quarterfinals kicked off—Li Ang boarded a plane to Rio de Janeiro.
His agent had already secured tickets well in advance.
On July 4th and 5th, he watched France vs. Germany and Argentina vs. Belgium.
Neither match was especially thrilling.
By this stage of the tournament, caution and counterattacks had replaced the all-out attacking style of the group stages.
Still, the live atmosphere? Electric.
Three days later came the semifinals.
Li Ang didn't watch the Argentina–Netherlands match.
He chose instead to be there, in person, when Germany destroyed Brazil 8–2.
Yes, in this timeline, the scoreline was even worse than the 7–1 from his memory.
But the match progression? Practically identical.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Brazil.
After the match, he sent comforting texts to his Brazilian Chelsea teammates.
On July 13th, Li Ang was back at the Maracanã, watching the World Cup final.
There was no Götze wondergoal this time.
Germany and Argentina played to a 1–1 draw in regular time.
Extra time? Still goalless.
In penalties, Germany crushed Argentina's dream once again—5–3.
Messi didn't even get to take Argentina's fifth penalty.
He watched, devastated, as his opponents lifted the trophy.
For Bayern players, this was the perfect season.
Club treble. World Cup glory. A historic haul.
Standing among 100,000 fans, Li Ang watched Germany live their dream.
For a moment—just a moment—he was jealous.
That envy burned, even if briefly.
That night, he caught a flight back to London.
Mourinho had given him plenty of vacation time, but he ignored it.
He returned early to Cobham and rejoined group training with the young players.
From July 17th, Chelsea arranged friendlies with lower-league English sides.
The goal?
To build chemistry between returnees like Maguire, Salah, and Aké and the rest of the youth.
Li Ang barely played.
Most of the time, he sat on the bench with Ibrahimović and Terry, whispering behind hands, full-on team leader mode.
Then, on July 22nd, with zero warning from the press, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain suddenly entered the spotlight together.
Sky Sports and L'Équipe simultaneously reported that the two clubs were working on three transfer deals.
Fans speculated wildly.
But before the gossip could spiral out of control, the clubs confirmed the news the very next day:
Thiago Silva → ChelseaDavid Luiz + Oscar → PSG
According to L'Équipe, Thiago Silva—approaching 30 and recovering from a thigh injury sustained during the World Cup—cost Chelsea €30 million.
PSG spent roughly €80 million in total to bring in David Luiz and Oscar.
Chelsea may have slightly overpaid for Silva, but their fans loved the deal.
PSG didn't lose either—they offloaded a nearly 30-year-old defender and picked up two Brazilians entering their prime.
It was a classic win-win.
And when Thiago Silva landed in London that same afternoon, he was glowing in his first English interview:
"You all know it—the Little Lion's my brother.
And Zlatan? That guy's a beast.
Now that we're together again, I couldn't be happier.
I'm ready to fight for Mourinho.
See you all next season—we're gonna shock the world."
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10