"Atlético Madrid lift the championship trophy! Shane Carter and captain Gabi hoist the cup together. This is a massive acknowledgement from the squad of everything Shane has contributed this season!"
In the English broadcast booth, Martin took a deep breath as he spoke. Lifting the trophy alongside the captain was the ultimate sign of respect from the dressing room. Down on the pitch, the Atlético fans were still chanting Shane's name into the Madrid sky.
But Martin was already thinking about something else. After such a dominant, historically brilliant season, could Atlético Madrid realistically keep Shane Carter in the upcoming summer transfer window?
In truth, Martin wasn't the only one wondering. A quick glance at global social media painted a very clear picture.
"With performances like these, there's no way Atlético can hold onto him, right?"
"The media is reporting that his release clause is only eighty million euros."
"Honestly, even if you doubled that release clause, there are clubs who would gladly pay it."
While the current era of football was just beginning to show signs of hyper-inflation in player valuations, transfer fees exceeding a hundred million were still incredibly rare. But for a player of Shane's caliber, the standard rules of the market simply didn't apply.
Fans of Europe's biggest clubs were already letting their imaginations run wild. Supporters from every major powerhouse desperately hoped the American prodigy would choose their team.
Realistically, for a player at Shane's absolute world-class level, the list of potential destinations was quite small. The Bundesliga was essentially out of the question. Bayern Munich were a superclub, but they rarely spent exorbitant fees on a single player. Their current club-record signing was still Javi Martínez, whom they had purchased from Athletic Bilbao for forty-five million euros the previous summer. Bayern had their own methods of poaching young talent from the German-speaking regions to maintain their dominance.
Over in Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain certainly had the money. But Shane wouldn't necessarily want to go there, and the same applied to most top-tier superstars entering their prime. It wasn't about PSG's wages. The issue was the overall environment and low global visibility of the French league.
As for Serie A, Juventus was the only club capable of financing such a move. Since the Agnelli family had taken back the reins, Juventus had slowly stepped out of the shadow of the Calciopoli scandal and returned to the right track. However, Serie A was no longer the undisputed "Little World Cup" it used to be. The league's global appeal was steadily dropping toward Ligue 1 levels.
After endless analysis, pundits concluded that Shane's next destination had to be a giant in either the Premier League or La Liga. In Spain, that obviously meant Real Madrid or Barcelona.
In the Premier League, the only clubs with the financial muscle to pull it off were Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City. Arsenal were still heavily restricted by the massive stadium debt they were paying off. Liverpool were currently slogging through one of the lowest points in their club's history. Even if Liverpool somehow found the money, Shane had no reason to join a rebuilding project unless he was a boyhood die-hard fan.
Therefore, the internet was currently dominated by fans of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City. The comment sections were absolute warzones of speculation and fantasy booking.
…
Shane, of course, was not thinking about transfer rumors during his championship celebration. After the trophy presentation, the Atlético squad continued their wild party inside the stadium.
Diego Simeone was chased down by his players and absolutely drenched in beer and champagne. Shane didn't fare much better. As the team's talisman, he was a primary target for the celebratory ambushes, resulting in a chaotic, joyful free-for-all. Everyone was incredibly happy. For many players in the Atlético dressing room, this was their very first league title.
The path to the championship had left a deep impression on the squad. Under normal circumstances, Atlético's phenomenal form this season would have seen them wrap up the title weeks ago. But Barcelona had been so terrifyingly consistent that the two teams were deadlocked in points until their direct confrontation. Winning the title through such a grueling, high-pressure battle made the victory taste even sweeter.
Following the stadium celebrations, the club did not schedule any official banquets or parades. For Atlético Madrid, an even more important match was still waiting on the horizon. Therefore, the players were left to organize their own private celebrations that night.
Simeone politely declined the invitation to join them. He was the manager, and maintaining a slight professional distance was necessary. If he attended, the players wouldn't be able to fully let loose and enjoy themselves.
However, he did leave them with a stern warning. They were not to party too hard. They had the next day off to recover, but regular training would resume the day after to prepare for the Champions League final in thirteen days.
There was still one final round of La Liga remaining, but for Atlético, the result was entirely meaningless. It would serve as nothing more than a glorified warm-up match to keep their match fitness sharp.
The Champions League final was the match every single Atlético player was truly dreaming about. No one wanted to risk an injury or a scandal right before the biggest game of their lives. Consequently, the team's private party wrapped up responsibly by midnight.
Shane headed home to rest. He didn't have to report to the training ground the next morning, allowing him to sleep in.
When he finally woke up, his phone was buzzing endlessly. Countless journalists had somehow gotten his number and were trying to secure an exclusive phone interview.
Shane simply turned off his work phone. He had zero interest in doing interviews right now. He had worked tirelessly all season. Couldn't he just enjoy his day off in peace?
He made himself breakfast, played a few video games to unwind, and then headed out for a scheduled lunch with his agent, Jorge Mendes.
For Shane, off days were rarely completely free of obligations. His incredible performances this season had sent his commercial value skyrocketing, and Mendes had brought a stack of lucrative endorsement contracts to review.
More importantly, the summer transfer window was rapidly approaching. Mendes needed to sit down and have a serious conversation about Shane's future. If Shane wanted to leave Atlético Madrid after this season, Mendes had to start laying the groundwork immediately.
In Mendes' eyes, Shane had stayed at Atlético Madrid long enough. Everything now hinged on the outcome of the Champions League final.
If Atlético won the Champions League, what reason was there to stay? He would have won every possible major honor with the club. It would be the perfect time to seek a new challenge.
If they lost the final? That would simply prove that Atlético Madrid had hit their absolute ceiling, and Shane would need to move to a larger platform to achieve ultimate glory.
This underlying logic was exactly why Shane Carter was the absolute center of attention ahead of the summer transfer window.
In the eyes of the footballing world, his departure was highly probable. The European giants were watching his every move like starved predators. Many top clubs had already used private backchannels to contact Mendes, trying to gauge Shane's interest.
However, despite being the most powerful agent in Europe, Mendes didn't dare make assumptions on Shane's behalf. Shane was one of his two biggest clients, and it wouldn't be long before he was the undisputed crown jewel of the agency.
On a matter as critical as a mega-transfer, Mendes had to follow his client's absolute will.
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