"What? You want to sell Neuer?"
At Bayern Munich's headquarters on Säbener Straße in Munich, Germany, Hoeness received a call from Schalke 04 chairman just as he was about to leave work. The news was so shocking that he jumped out of his office chair in anger.
"What's going on? We had a deal—why are you suddenly selling him?" Hoeness pressed.
On the other end of the line, Schnusenberg repeatedly apologized and explained the situation.
To sum it up in one sentence: Gao Shen is too damn ruthless!
Neuer is our most important player, we never wanted to sell him. Even if we did, we would have sent him to Bayern. But that damn Gao Shen, backed by Manchester City's deep pockets from the Middle East, kept increasing the bid, wearing down our psychological defenses over and over again. In the end… in the end… we had no choice but to give in!
Hoeness almost exploded in anger over the phone, but he didn't direct his frustration at Gao Shen—instead, he aimed it at Schnusenberg.
Damn it, do you really think I'm some rookie?
Who doesn't know what's going on here?
Are you seriously playing both sides?
But Hoeness was no fool.
He quickly suppressed his temper, took two deep breaths, and asked in a low voice, "What price did Manchester City offer?"
"Twenty million euros. Cash!" Schnusenberg answered without hesitation, sounding completely upfront.
"Fuck!" Hoeness was stunned.
"Uli, we've been friends for years. I called you because I need a promise from Bayern. If you're willing to match the price, Neuer is yours." Schnusenberg's tone was solemn.
This was the verbal agreement between the two clubs.
Hoeness hesitated for a moment.
"Give me some time. I'll get back to you as soon as possible."
"Make it quick, Uli—tonight at the latest. Manchester City's representatives will be here tomorrow morning to finalize the details," Schnusenberg urged.
From his tone, it sounded like he was looking out for Hoeness and Bayern. But Hoeness, sharp as ever, knew better, Schnusenberg was just afraid that Manchester City's wealthy backers would back out if the news leaked.
"Alright, wait for my response."
After hanging up, Hoeness immediately dialed Bayern chairman Rummenigge. Upon confirming that he was still in the office, Hoeness left immediately.
Behind closed doors, the two Bayern executives discussed the situation.
"Twenty million euros? In cash?" Rummenigge was equally taken aback by the offer.
Hoeness nodded with a serious expression. "We have to act fast, or Neuer will end up at Manchester City."
Rummenigge hesitated.
"You know, Gao Shen has an incredible eye for talent. The fact that he's willing to spend this much on Neuer proves the kid's potential. We can't let a player like that slip away," Hoeness urged, clearly anxious.
Rummenigge gestured for him to calm down and sit.
"You're aware of our current situation. Podolski wants to leave—he's going back to Cologne. Van Gaal has requested reinforcements in central defense, defensive midfield, and the forward line. We're already negotiating with Stuttgart for Gomez, and if that deal goes through, it'll likely be the biggest transfer in the Bundesliga this year."
"Then there's the defensive midfield situation. Zenit's Tymoshchuk isn't cheap either. We also need reinforcements on the wings…"
At this point, Rummenigge glanced at the anxious Hoeness and continued, "Considering all our ongoing transfer negotiations, we're already looking at spending at least 40 million euros this summer. Neuer wasn't even part of our initial plan. If we add him, we're talking 60 million. And don't forget—we're also eyeing Robben. His price tag is easily another 20 to 30 million euros..."
Even Hoeness felt overwhelmed at this point.
Spending 80 to 90 million—or close to 100 million—in a single summer?
That's just not Bayern Munich's style!
Bayern has always been financially prudent, meticulously calculating every transfer. Under normal circumstances, 20 million euros wouldn't be an issue, Bayern could afford it.
But right now, signing a goalkeeper isn't their top priority.
Is it really worth splashing out an extra 20 million euros for this?
"We still have Rensing. There's no urgent need to reinforce the goalkeeper position," Rummenigge reminded him.
Hoeness opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He could only sigh.
He had a strong feeling that with this transfer, Neuer's chances of joining Bayern were all but gone.
…
At the Germany U21 national team training camp in Gothenburg, Sweden, preparations were in full swing.
Their opening match against Spain U21 was about to begin, and all the young players were eager to prove themselves.
Manuel Neuer was undoubtedly the biggest star in the current German youth team.
Unlike with the senior national team, where he was overshadowed by Michael Rensing and René Adler, both of whom were ineligible for this tournament due to age restrictions, Neuer was now the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for the U21s.
He was determined to perform well in the European U21 Championship, return to the senior squad, and even secure a place in the World Cup in South Africa.
But just as the tournament was about to begin, Neuer received an unexpected call from his agent, Thomas Krause.
Schalke 04 wanted to sell him, to the Premier League!
The news came so suddenly that Neuer was caught off guard. As he tried to process it, several of his teammates gathered nearby, discussing transfers.
"You have to be careful with transfers abroad," Sami Khedira advised, shaking his head. "Look at Hildebrand, he was in top form at Stuttgart and had great momentum, but after moving to Valencia, he couldn't adapt and his performances collapsed."
Moving to a foreign league did carry significant risks.
And that was exactly what Neuer was worried about.
His current goal was to become Germany's third-choice goalkeeper, but he was confident in his ability to climb higher.
Yet if he transferred abroad and struggled, as Khedira had warned, his career could take a disastrous turn.
"I heard Manchester City's new head coach is Gao Shen," Mats Hummels chimed in. Having come through Bayern's youth academy before officially transferring to Dortmund this summer, he was familiar with Bayern's coaching philosophy. "Klopp speaks highly of him and often brings him up during our training sessions."
"Yeah, I heard that a lot of our domestic coaches—including Klopp and Tuchel—traveled to Italy specifically to attend his coaching seminars. They said he's a brilliant manager. The Italian coaching center's lecture hall was packed with hundreds of people when he spoke," Marcel Schmelzer added.
"Our coach in Hamburg, Martin Jol, also praises Gao Shen a lot," said Jérôme Boateng. "He says his tactics and training methods are cutting-edge and that he's one of the best coaches right now. Oh, and didn't the media report on how he trains goalkeepers…?"
Boateng frowned, trying to recall the details.
"His transformation of Handanović was a huge success. I read about it in Bild and Kicker," Neuer said.
"Yeah, that's it! The Dutch goalkeeper coach at our club highly recommends him," Boateng nodded. "I think Gao Shen really knows what he's doing, and he has a great eye for young talent. If he wanted me, I'd agree without hesitation."
He grinned, flashing a bright smile, and laughed.
The others chuckled.
At this point, Gao Shen's reputation was immense. If he extended an offer, unless a player had a chance at a top club, there weren't many young stars who would turn him down.
"You know, this Gao Shen is incredible," Hummels said. "I checked the Spanish U21 squad we're facing, and so many of their players were promoted by him at Real Madrid—Javi García, Miguel Torres, Granero, Parejo, Juan Mata, Callejón, Bueno… even Busquets from Barcelona."
He sounded genuinely impressed.
"He only coached Real Madrid for six months, yet he unearthed so many talents. That's insane!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Over time, Gao Shen's influence had only grown. His achievements at Real Madrid had already been widely recognized, but as his Napoli side continued to impress, his reputation across Spanish football had reached new heights.
Just look at Spain's U21 squad, so many of their players had been discovered and developed by Gao Shen. That alone spoke volumes.
But Real Madrid had been reckless.
Especially Calderón, who had wasted such a promising generation of young players.
"I think instead of overthinking it, you should just ask your agent to get in touch with Gao Shen," Schmelzer suggested. "See if you can have a proper conversation with him, even just a phone call. That way, you'll have a clearer idea of what to expect."
For these young players, Gao Shen was more of a legend.
They had only seen him through the media, newspapers, and magazines. At most, they followed him on Twitter.
But they had noticed something, he seemed like a genuinely interesting person, nothing like the older, traditional head coaches.
Playing under someone like that could actually be fun.
Neuer nodded.
It made sense. Reaching out to Gao Shen himself would not only show initiative but also clear up any uncertainties he had.
After all, his future was his top priority.
At this stage, fame and money weren't the most important things for him.
What mattered most was his development.
He wanted to become Germany's best goalkeeper and eventually one of the best in Europe.
Even if he wasn't a starter for the senior national team yet, that didn't change his ambitions.
…
As the conversation continued, the players started discussing Gao Shen's past teams—Real Madrid, Napoli, and now, potentially, Manchester City.
They couldn't help but feel curious.
It was hard to believe that someone could become a top coach in Europe at just 28 years old.
It was almost surreal.
Just as everyone was talking about it, Neuer's phone suddenly rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
He hesitated, then picked up.
And as soon as he answered, the voice on the other end said.
"Hello, Manuel, I'm Gao Shen."
Neuer was so startled that he nearly jumped out of his seat.
(To be continued.)
***
Sorry I keep making this mistake sigh