"Breaking News: Villarreal have received an inquiry from Liverpool regarding defensive midfielder Rodri!"
"Atlético Madrid's chief scout spotted entering Villarreal!"
"According to well-known journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have essentially reached an agreement with Southampton over the transfer of Virgil van Dijk, but Chelsea and Tottenham are attempting to hijack the deal."
...
The morning papers were flooded with transfer news.
Liverpool were clearly preparing to make moves, and fans believed the club would be very active in the next transfer window.
After all, supporters knew that even after signing Salah, a large portion of Coutinho's transfer fee still hadn't been spent.
Barcelona had been extremely generous.
They paid over €100 million for Coutinho, leaving Liverpool with a massive transfer budget.
Of course, during his Liverpool days Coutinho displayed the typical Brazilian flair—excellent dribbling combined with a powerful shot—which made him the envy of many European giants. That was why Barcelona were willing to pay such a huge price to sign him.
Mike's first task every morning was to make sure that money didn't end up being used by the owner to buy a yacht.
Liverpool needed reinforcements in midfield.
And a yacht certainly wouldn't help the team defend on the pitch.
Klopp reviewed the club's latest situation every day.
Three main fronts.
The first was the FA Cup. Liverpool had already reached the quarterfinals and were just three matches away from lifting the trophy.
In the Premier League, Liverpool still sat at the top of the table, but Manchester City were right behind them. Liverpool had to maintain their form and beat every relatively weaker opponent to keep their lead.
The third front was the Champions League.
Liverpool had already reached the semifinals and would face Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich—a true battle ahead.
Never before had Liverpool been this united from top to bottom.
Everyone at the club was fully focused, working toward the same goal.
The players had also entered an intense training phase, each of them pushing themselves to contribute to the team.
Meanwhile, Leo Lin—currently one of the hottest names in football—received an invitation.
It came from New Balance, Liverpool's official kit partner.
As the club's official partner, New Balance had the right to invite one Liverpool first-team player to serve as the face of their collaboration with the club.
Put simply, the player would wear the new Liverpool kit and take promotional photos to showcase next season's jersey.
Usually, this opportunity went to the most popular player on the team.
It meant additional income for the player, while the only requirement was simple: wear the new kit and take a photo.
That was it.
It wasn't even a true endorsement deal, nor a formal partnership.
It was more like a promotional arrangement between Liverpool and their kit supplier.
Of course, if it helped increase jersey sales and bring in more revenue for the club, that would be even better.
Essentially, it was just helping Liverpool with publicity.
Barnett believed Leo Lin should definitely accept.
"This is basically free money."
"And you're not representing New Balance—you're representing Liverpool."
"You're just wearing Liverpool's new kit for a photoshoot. That's it."
Soon afterward, New Balance's regional head, Di Cayo, arrived in Liverpool to negotiate with Barnett.
Leo Lin wasn't present.
Barnett had already promised him that he would squeeze as much money out of New Balance as possible.
He intended to secure the best possible deal.
Di Cayo had already heard Barnett's reputation before coming.
There was a saying in English football:
"It's better to face the devil than negotiate with Barnett."
So Di Cayo came fully prepared.
He believed he had enough sincerity to persuade Barnett.
On March 17, the two met at a café.
Before they even sat down, Barnett appeared friendly and approachable, which eased some of Di Cayo's nervousness.
But the moment they took their seats and negotiations began—
The atmosphere changed completely.
A suffocating pressure filled the air.
Barnett seemed like a completely different person.
Di Cayo suddenly had the strange feeling that he would end up agreeing to whatever Barnett asked for.
Otherwise Barnett might as well pull out a Barrett rifle and press it to his own forehead.
Even just in terms of presence, Di Cayo was completely overwhelmed.
The gap between them was obvious.
Di Cayo was the head of a New Balance regional division, with a high position and an excellent salary.
Within New Balance, he was certainly an important figure.
But Barnett's agency was even richer than New Balance itself.
And Barnett was the absolute leader of that agency.
After decades of fighting his way through the industry, he had built a powerful agent empire.
Compared to him, Di Cayo felt like nothing more than an ant.
"This is the bonus payment we're offering Lin," Di Cayo said.
"The amount is £3 million."
Barnett didn't respond immediately.
His silence alone made Di Cayo uneasy.
After a moment, Barnett finally spoke.
"That's far below what we expected."
"We want £5 million."
Di Cayo froze.
He hadn't expected such an aggressive demand.
"Mr. Barnett, we're negotiating on behalf of Liverpool Football Club."
"This isn't an endorsement deal."
"We've already shown the greatest possible sincerity. We're even paying a separate fee to Liverpool."
"Do you understand? Simply put, as Liverpool's official partner we're appointing one Liverpool player to act as New Balance's Liverpool representative for the upcoming season."
"And all Lin needs to do is wear the new kit and take a photo."
"It's as simple as having a meal."
Barnett frowned slightly and glanced at him with a sharp look.
"Oh?"
"Then go ask someone else."
"We decline this offer."
"Find someone else for the shoot."
"Do you really think their promotional impact will even reach half of Lin's?"
Barnett spoke slowly.
Every word landed heavily.
"Who is the most talked-about young player in football today?"
"Who has the biggest popularity in the sport right now?"
"Think about it."
Just a few sentences made his position perfectly clear.
Barnett knew exactly why New Balance wanted Leo Lin.
His popularity.
Sweat began to run down Di Cayo's back.
He tried to stay calm, but deep down he knew he had no chance of winning this negotiation.
Five minutes later, Barnett leaned back comfortably and lit a cigar.
People who knew him well understood something.
Most of the time he only held a cigar in his mouth without lighting it.
But the moment he actually lit it—
It meant he had already won.
"I'm glad we could reach an agreement."
"Oh, by the way."
"Please tell your boss Cameron something."
"Is he still your supervisor?"
Barnett asked as he watched Di Cayo nod.
"He's an old classmate of mine."
"Back when we were in school, I even used to collect protection money from him."
"I'll visit the States sometime to catch up with him."
"I'll bring him a bottle of good Scotch Lin gave me."
"I'm sure he'll like it."