On the way back to the hotel from the restaurant, Gao Shen had a clear understanding of how the negotiation between the two sides had gone.
He had to admit that Leeds United was now truly capable when it came to handling transfer market operations.
For instance, after Pepe's departure, Real Madrid currently only had two reliable central defenders: Varane and Ramos. Nacho was versatile but not a specialist, while Vallejo was still too young and inexperienced. Real Madrid urgently needed to bring in a top-level center-back.
Last season, Van Dijk had proven himself as the best central defender in European football while playing for Leeds United.
In terms of age and ability, he was the perfect fit for Real Madrid's needs.
Everything now depended on whether Real Madrid could meet Leeds United's asking price.
More importantly, there were very few top-class central defenders left in European football.
Take La Liga, for example. Sevilla had just sold their defender Lenglet to Barcelona for 45 million euros, which was 10 million more than expected.
Many people might wonder why.
The reason was simple: there was a shortage of quality center-backs.
You get what you pay for. The rarer and better the player, the higher the price.
"150 million euros. I believe Real Madrid will eventually accept this offer," Fernando Lucas said confidently.
That confidence came not only from understanding the market but also from reading both sides' psychology and having complete trust in his negotiation ability.
Gao Shen was impressed. If Van Dijk could really be sold for 150 million euros, the transfer market would go wild.
Of course, it wouldn't be too unrealistic.
In his previous life, back in 2018, Liverpool had reached the Champions League final and finished runners-up. Even without Premier League or FA Cup titles, Van Dijk's reported price had already soared to 200 million euros.
"Has the technical team evaluated whether our defense can hold up after selling Van Dijk?" Gao Shen asked with concern. That was something Leeds United had to take seriously.
"Don't worry, we've done the simulations," Borrell replied.
"From last season's performance, Ruben Dias played very well, and both De Ligt and Militao are extremely promising. They have great ability, so we believe the three of them can fill the gap left by Van Dijk next season."
Gao Shen was familiar with all three players from his previous life—he had personally recommended them. So, he naturally knew their quality.
He was asking mainly to confirm whether Leeds United had made a formal internal evaluation.
Although Leeds United had been selling players in recent years, every sale had been thoroughly planned in advance. That was one of Gao Shen's standing requirements for Borrell.
For example, they sold Navas because they already had Ederson ready. Later, Ederson was sold because Alisson had arrived. But this summer, when Chelsea offered 80 million euros for Alisson, Leeds United refused.
The reason was simple: they hadn't yet found a goalkeeper capable of replacing him.
Leeds United now had very high standards for every position.
This was also why young players like Fofana and Saliba were loaned out to Ligue 1 for development.
After all, at their age, they wouldn't get much game time at Leeds United.
The club couldn't afford to sacrifice results just to train inexperienced youngsters for years.
What the White Rose preferred were young players close to first-team level—like Ruben Dias, De Ligt, and Militao—who had the ability to become reliable starters after one or two seasons of polishing.
That was why Fofana and Saliba were both loaned out for three years.
Of course, exceptionally talented players like Vinicius were treated differently.
"By the way, I saw we signed a Croatian center-back named Joško Gvardiol this year. Is he good?" Gao Shen asked curiously.
He still remembered the player's difficult-to-pronounce name, which even sounded a bit like Guardiola's.
Borrell smiled. "I'm very optimistic about him."
After listening to Borrell's detailed explanation, Gao Shen realized that this was indeed a very talented young player.
Joško Gvardiol was the son of a fisherman. From childhood, he loved football. Humble yet confident, decisive yet intelligent, he played with an edge but also with awareness.
He had initially been a defensive midfielder, technically sound but not outstanding. Later, after switching to center-back, his potential exploded. A rare left-footed defender, he possessed both physicality and ball-playing ability.
"I guess you haven't been following Real Madrid's technical department closely this past year, have you?" Borrell asked with a grin.
Gao Shen shook his head. "There's been too much going on at the club. I don't have time for other things."
"That makes sense. Well, starting from last summer, I can tell you that nearly every major club in Europe sent scouts to watch him—Inter Milan, Juventus, Chelsea, Arsenal, plus several teams in La Liga, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. They even reached out to his father. Inter Milan went as far as offering a one-million-euro signing bonus."
"Seriously?" Gao Shen was stunned.
That sounded unbelievable.
He was a top-level manager who had led Real Madrid, and yet he hadn't heard this name before. How could such a young player have caused such a stir?
"The competition for young players in Europe has become extremely fierce. Clubs jump in the moment a youngster shows potential," Borrell explained.
Gao Shen smiled bitterly, then quickly realized what that implied. "Then our youth academy must be under threat too."
"We've been targeted before, but we were prepared. It didn't cause any real problems," Borrell reassured him.
"So you're saying Gvardiol is truly that gifted?"
It was indeed remarkable for a 16-year-old to attract so many top clubs, with some even offering direct payments to his family.
"Our entire technical team believes that only injuries can stop him from becoming a world-class center-back."
Gao Shen nodded. He finally understood why Borrell had been so determined.
Considering how many big clubs were circling, Borrell must have worked hard to secure the signing.
"How did you manage to get him?"
Borrell grinned. "Our club's reputation for developing top central defenders helped. That was the key."
Gao Shen laughed. It was true. Leeds United had produced an impressive number of elite defenders in recent years.
"Also, several players in the current Croatian national team have close ties to Leeds United and to you," Borrell continued. "When I met him and his father, he asked me something funny."
"What was it?" Gao Shen asked.
Lucas chuckled before Borrell cleared his throat and imitated Gvardiol's tone. "Is Real Madrid's head coach Gao Shen really your boss?"
Gao Shen blinked in surprise.
Was this kid actually a fan of his?
"He said he hoped to play under you one day. He even mentioned Croatian internationals he admired, like Modric and Rakitic, who were both trained by you."
Gao Shen smiled. "When I get back to Leeds, I have to meet this kid."
"It didn't take much to convince him and his father," Borrell said. "He hadn't signed a professional contract with Dinamo Zagreb yet, so negotiations went smoothly. Still, I didn't want to leave him there. A player like him should be nurtured in our youth system."
Gao Shen understood perfectly.
Borrell had done an excellent job.
This incident also reflected how desperate European football had become for top talent. At just 15 years old, players like Gvardiol were already attracting intense bidding wars. Had he been a year older, his value would already be in the tens of millions.
Many fans and media often asked why Premier League giants like Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool always targeted Leeds United's players instead of finding and training young talents themselves.
The answer was simple.
The competition for young players had become brutal.
And more importantly, those Premier League giants lacked the comprehensive scouting and youth development systems that Leeds United had.
Having sat comfortably at the top of the football hierarchy for years, they hadn't needed to invest heavily in youth systems. If not for UEFA and FA regulations, some clubs might have abandoned youth training altogether.
Leeds United's players might be expensive, but at least they were proven in the Premier League and Champions League.
That was far more reliable than developing untested youngsters.
Chelsea, for instance, had invested heavily in players like Piazon and Zouma, but none had met expectations.
So, rather than raise their own, why not just buy Leeds United's finished products?
With that thought, Gao Shen felt reassured.
It turned out Lucas and Borrell had done an outstanding job.
"By the way, Fernando, I need to tell you something," Gao Shen said suddenly.
Lucas looked at him.
"Your judgment was right," Gao Shen said with a smirk. "Real Madrid is loaded with cash right now. Very loaded."
Lucas laughed. "I guessed as much."
The two exchanged knowing smiles.
It really did feel like a battle against the rich.
Real Madrid, being a membership-based club, wasn't allowed to show profits, but Florentino's financial team were masters at balancing the books.
In recent years, Real Madrid's annual revenues had grown rapidly, yet they still declared zero net profit.
Strange, wasn't it?
During Gao Shen's tenure, Real Madrid achieved incredible results without huge spending—most investments were in young players like Asensio, Ceballos, and Theo Hernández, which cost very little.
But now, Gao Shen was certain of one thing: if Mbappé cost 200 million euros and Van Dijk 150 million euros, Real Madrid could afford both without issue.
Of course, they wouldn't pay in full upfront. The deal would definitely be done in installments.
After all, Florentino still needed to reserve funds for renovating the Santiago Bernabéu.
(To be continued.)
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