Chapter 344: Mr. 200 Million Euros

Chapter 344: Mr. 200 Million Euros

Bruno's meeting with Ferguson lasted a full hour. Ferguson exchanged extensive ideas with Bruno, expressing great optimism about Manchester United's future with Bruno on the team. The old man even stated that as long as his health allowed, he would attend every Manchester United home game to cheer for Bruno.

As they parted, Ferguson and his wife escorted Bruno to the door and waved him off until his car disappeared into the distance. After spending a night in Manchester, Bruno quietly returned to his home in Porto. Over the next few days, he stayed at home in Porto, waiting for news from England.

Every morning, Bruno would rise early for his morning run, followed by a workout at the gym, diligently maintaining his condition in preparation for the new season. Mourinho personally called him, informing him that the team had returned from their Asian tour to prepare for the Community Shield in early August. Mourinho clearly stated his desire for the club to finalize Bruno's transfer before the new season began so that he could join Manchester United on time.

As August began, Manchester United announced two more transfers. Following Bruno's subtle suggestion, Giaretta dismissed Mourinho's original plan to sign Bailly, prompting Mourinho to look for other central defender options.

Maguire was one choice, while another target was Southampton's 25-year-old Dutch center-back, Virgil van Dijk. The Dutch defender had transferred from Scottish giant Celtic to the Saints last summer. In his first Premier League season, van Dijk played 34 games for Southampton, becoming a key player in their defense and contributing to the Saints' sixth-place finish.

Van Dijk's impressive performance led Southampton to extend his contract to 2022 just a year after he joined. However, faced with an irresistible offer from Manchester United and van Dijk's desire to join a top club, Southampton ultimately agreed to let him go after almost two months of negotiations.

Southampton initially planned to extract a hefty fee from Manchester United, but with United firm on not exceeding a fair price and van Dijk himself submitting a transfer request, they eventually accepted United's £30 million offer. This allowed Southampton to make a substantial profit, considering they had signed the Dutch defender for £11.5 million just a year prior.

Manchester United then announced the signing of midfielder Ilkay Gündogan from Borussia Dortmund for £25 million. In an alternate timeline, Mourinho favored Dortmund's other midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who had been the Bundesliga's top assist provider and MVP last season and was a highly sought-after playmaker. However, knowing that United would sign Bruno, Mourinho shifted his focus to Gündogan, another Dortmund midfielder with excellent all-around skills.

United secured Gündogan amidst competition from Manchester City, as Guardiola also wanted the German midfielder. Mourinho intended to have Gündogan share the defensive midfield role with veteran Michael Carrick, with Kanté assured of one defensive midfield spot.

Following these two transfers, Manchester United's summer transfer activities began to wrap up, and rumors about Bruno's transfer surfaced. The Guardian first reported that Bruno had secretly visited Manchester to look for a house, causing excitement among fans in Manchester and across England.

Soon, media outlets confirmed that Bruno had chosen a luxurious villa in Wilmslow, Cheshire, costing £5 million, located near Ferguson's residence, and that the two had met. These reports effectively announced to the world that Bruno was set to join Manchester United, with only a few sponsorship contract details left to iron out.

This news triggered a massive global response, as fans had been eagerly anticipating Bruno's transfer. With this significant development, it became almost certain that Bruno's move to Manchester United was a done deal.

The Sun then revealed further details, stating that Bruno's transfer to Manchester United had been an open secret within the industry. According to the newspaper, Udinese had rejected transfer bids from Real Madrid and Barcelona the previous summer because Manchester United's new owner, Jassim, had intervened.

"Bruno and Jassim first met in early 2015 when Bruno stayed in the Middle East for a holiday after participating in the Italian Super Cup in Qatar. The two formed a deep friendship. When Jassim's team initiated the acquisition of Manchester United last summer, Jassim personally traveled to Italy to persuade Bruno and Udinese. He confidently promised to buy Manchester United within a year and was willing to pay a record-breaking fee to sign Bruno from Udinese. Bruno also preferred Manchester United because he didn't want to be overshadowed by Messi or Ronaldo."

While The Guardian's reports subtly hinted at the truth, The Sun's revelations were much more explicit, stating that the entire plan had been set a year ago and was well-known in the industry. However, the world was still shocked, wondering what the exact transfer fee promised to Udinese might be, given the previous year's offers of €120 million from Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Over the past year, Bruno had won the FIFA Ballon d'Or and led Portugal to victory in the European Championship, further increasing his value. According to the latest figures from the German transfer market, Bruno's market value had reached €150 million, making him the most valuable player, surpassing Neymar (€140 million), Messi (€140 million), and Ronaldo (€120 million).

Manchester United's summer spending was also staggering. They spent €45 million on Kanté, €30 million on Maguire, €36 million on van Dijk, and €30 million on Gündogan, totaling over €140 million. Although Ibrahimović joined on a free transfer, United still paid him a significant signing bonus.

With Bruno's imminent signing, Manchester United's summer transfer spending would be extraordinary, likely surpassing Jassim's initial promise of at least €200 million for new players, potentially even exceeding €300 million.

For most football clubs, spending tens of millions in a transfer window is already unthinkable. Even for European giants, spending over €100 million in a single window is extraordinary. However, the Middle Eastern owner's willingness to spend over €300 million on transfers in one window was astonishing, prompting European media to exclaim that the "oil money" had indeed arrived.

Amidst various rumors and truths, it was hard to distinguish fact from fiction.

On Friday, August 5, 2016, English Premier League giant Manchester United officially announced the signing of Portuguese superstar Bruno from Serie A team Udinese.

"We are honored to announce to Manchester United fans that we have signed the final agreement with Udinese for the transfer of Portuguese star Bruno Fernandes. The agreement takes effect immediately. Bruno will stay at Old Trafford for the next five years.

"On August 8, let's witness Bruno's arrival together at Old Trafford!"

With this announcement, the two-year-long transfer saga of Bruno leaving Udinese finally concluded, and his new club was confirmed. Although neither Manchester United nor Udinese disclosed the transfer fee, resourceful media quickly revealed the figure: €200 million!

This number shocked the world. Despite widespread expectations of a record-breaking fee for Bruno, the actual figure still seemed unbelievable when it was revealed. While Gareth Bale's transfer to Real Madrid three years ago for €101 million marked the beginning of the €100 million era, no player had surpassed that amount in the following three years. The football world was still predominantly in the tens of millions era.

Since 2014, rumors of Bruno leaving Udinese suggested he would set a new transfer record, especially after winning consecutive Champions League and European Championship titles, making it a certainty. However, few expected the new record to be set so high, propelling the transfer market from the tens of millions era to the €200 million era.

It was insane!

As for the rumors of Bruno's £300,000 weekly salary, they didn't garner much attention, even though it represented a fivefold increase in his wages. Relative to Ronaldo and Messi's €22 million annual salaries, Bruno's sub-€19 million salary still had a significant gap.

(End of Chapter)

Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.