50 million euros release clause really doesn’t feel secure at all...

The 2011 transfer market was incredibly lively, with all of the top ten transfers being some of the biggest names in football.

Ibrahimović, Agüero, Mata, Sánchez, Eto'o, Fàbregas...

If Ye Chen's transfer really went through, his £30 million fee would rank him fourth on the 2011 transfer list.

Only behind Agüero's €45 million, Pastore's €43 million, and Falcao's €40 million.

As for the most expensive transfer, Agüero actually cost Manchester City £35 million plus an additional £3 million in add-ons.

In other words, Agüero only cost £5 million more than Ye Chen!

But what were Agüero's stats before his move to Manchester City?

In the 2010-2011 season, Agüero played 41 matches for Atlético Madrid, scoring 27 goals and providing 7 assists!

That's 34 direct goal contributions, and in the UEFA Super Cup final against Champions League holders Inter Milan, Agüero delivered a goal and an assist, leading his team to a 2-0 victory!

Even a player like Agüero only cost £35 million!

Now, Manchester United was offering £30 million for Ye Chen, who had only played four professional matches...

It really felt like a dream!

Ye Chen couldn't believe how quickly his transfer value had skyrocketed!

It was simply unbelievable!

Even he was left a bit stunned!

But the question was, why was the manager looking for him now?

Was it because he was tempted by the money and wanted him to leave?

Or was there another reason?

With these questions in mind, Ye Chen got into Klopp's car and headed to Dortmund.

"Ye, I think you should get a professional agent," Klopp said while driving.

A professional agent?

Klopp's words were like a wake-up call.

As a time traveler with two lifetimes of experience, Ye Chen naturally understood the importance of an agent, but he felt it was still too early for him to get one.

Only when he became strong enough would he be qualified to attract the top agents in the industry!

However, the current situation made Ye Chen change his mind.

Simply put, if he had an agent team, he wouldn't have had to wait until Li Xinran called him to find out about the false rumors spreading online.

And as his fame grew, there would surely be brand endorsements and business deals, as well as contract renewal negotiations.

As a professional player, he couldn't handle everything by himself, right?

After all, that wasn't his expertise, and he had just stepped into the professional arena. He wanted to focus all his energy on matches and training.

Speaking of which, what was going on with Raiola and Mendes?

As two of Europe's top football agents, how had they not noticed his potential after so many matches?

That was seriously unprofessional!

They deserved some criticism!

"Alright, I'll take care of it as soon as possible," Ye Chen replied after a moment of thought.

In Europe, player transfers mainly have two stages.

The first stage is the bidding process between clubs. Only when a club accepts an offer can they start negotiations with the player.

If they contact the player beforehand, it's a violation and can result in fines!

Of course, there are always ways around the rules.

Most transfers involve clubs reaching out to agents first to discuss the possibility of a deal and the general conditions.

The second stage happens once the offer is accepted—then the club can negotiate a contract with the player.

If the player refuses the transfer, the deal doesn't go through.

Before the current contract expires, the player has the right to stay until the contract ends—contracts are meant to protect both parties, not just the club's interests.

Of course, if a club truly doesn't want a player, they can negotiate a contract termination.

If the player refuses, the final option is forced termination, but that requires paying an even higher compensation.

This only happens when things get ugly.

For any player, being forcibly released is humiliating—just like what happened to Ye Chen before.

Back then, Ye Chen had signed an apprentice contract with Manchester United, which only required him to pay a mere £2,000 compensation fee!

For a club as wealthy as Manchester United, £2,000 was nothing.

But that action had deeply hurt Ye Chen, and he still felt furious thinking about it!

However, Ye Chen didn't want to leave now—he truly liked Dortmund.

It wasn't just about his unfinished tasks; more importantly, he couldn't think of a better club for himself.

When choosing a team, two key factors matter: playing style and team strength.

Dortmund, as the reigning Bundesliga champions who had broken Bayern's dominance, were undoubtedly strong.

As for playing style, Dortmund was arguably the best club in Europe for young players to develop.

They even had a specific recruitment policy to prioritize signing players under the age of 23!

Looking at their starting attacking lineup:

Shinji Kagawa, the core playmaker, was 23.Ivan Perišić, the starting left winger, was 23.Robert Lewandowski, newly promoted as the starting striker, was also 23.Mario Götze, the starting right winger, was only 19!

Götze had only been promoted to the first team the previous year when Kagawa got injured—he was just 18 at the time.

Besides them, İlkay Gündoğan was 22, and Sven Bender was 22...

The whole Dortmund squad was bursting with youthful energy!

Because of their trust in young players, Klopp had no hesitation in giving the 17-year-old Ye Chen a chance when the team faced difficulties!

If it were another manager, young players would mostly only get substituted in after the 75th minute.

But honestly, what could you prove in just ten or so minutes?

If you were unlucky, you wouldn't even get the chance to take a long shot!

That being said, since there were already transfer offers, the club's manager was clearly alarmed.

Think about it—Ye Chen had only played four matches, yet a top club was willing to pay £30 million for him.

What if he played ten matches? Twenty?

Even without his insane record of twelve goals in four matches, as long as he maintained a goal every two games, he would shine across Europe!

That's why Watzke urgently asked Klopp to bring Ye Chen to his office—to discuss signing a new contract with a release clause of at least €100 million.

After all, €50 million just wasn't secure enough!

Knock, knock, knock!

Klopp knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

As the door opened, Ye Chen was momentarily stunned, but he quickly smiled.

As expected, what was meant to happen had finally arrived.

Just moments ago, he was wondering why Mendes and Raiola hadn't approached him yet. And now, speak of the devil, here they were.

Seeing Klopp and Ye Chen enter, the two agents immediately stood up.

Watzke smiled and said, "Ye Chen, come in. Let me introduce you!"

"This is Mr. Raiola."

"Nice to meet you, sir!" Ye Chen extended his hand.

"Mr. Ye, nice to meet you!" Raiola responded with a warm smile. "I'm a football agent, and I look forward to working with you."

Ye Chen nodded. "Likewise."

"And this is Mr. Mendes," Watzke continued.

Mendes flashed his signature smile. "Mr. Ye, hello. I've watched your four matches and training footage—you are absolutely incredible! I believe you have the potential to become the best player in the world!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Mendes!" Ye Chen smiled.

"Jorge, you said the same thing about Cristiano Ronaldo last time!" Raiola grumbled.

Clearly, the two rival agents were already competing for him!