Chaos in the Transfer Market
The news that they were going to sell Ha Sunmoon left him utterly dumbfounded. He hadn’t received any explanation from the club, and now he was hearing it from the girl standing right in front of him. The absurdity of it all only grew.
“Is that for real? You’re not messing with me, right?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
Clara held out her phone. Take a good look.
Ha Sunmoon checked the article.
“Marcos? This guy’s an insider journalist… So the club’s position is probably accurate…”
Ha Sunmoon handed the phone back to Clara.
“You look pretty disappointed.”
He nodded. In truth, he had grown a little gloomy. He had planned to stay at Espanyol next season, compete in the Europa League again, and prove himself. This sudden decision had blindsided him.
“I was going to talk about some other things… but it doesn’t seem like the right time. I should head back.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll contact you once I’m back in Barcelona. I’m only here for one more day.”
“I’m leaving in a few days too. Let’s meet then.”
After parting ways with Clara, Ha Sunmoon hurried back to the villa.
“What’s going on? You looked like you were having fun with that girl earlier, but now you’re back with a face like that. Did she say she wasn’t into you?”
Marcelo spoke as soon as he saw Ha Sunmoon’s grim expression.
“No, that’s not it… I just heard that my club is planning to sell me.”
“What? They’re selling you all of a sudden? After you just re-signed last season?”
Ha Sunmoon nodded.
“Hmm… Well, that’s certainly unexpected. Have you thought about where you might want to go?”
“Not yet.”
“Hmm~ The situation Roberto and I were hoping for has come a little sooner than expected. I’ll make a request on your behalf. If it’s Real Madrid, the Espanyol fans will probably think you’ve done well for yourself.”
“But will Real Madrid really make an offer for me?”
“Of course they will. You’re a player with tremendous talent. Roberto and I will recommend you strongly. Trust me.”
“Perez. This kid is genuinely an excellent player. Why are you looking at him so negatively?”
Marcelo was frustrated. He had recommended Ha Sunmoon, but Florentino Perez didn’t seem particularly interested.
“His ability as a player seems sufficient.”
“Exactly. He performed brilliantly against Barcelona and showed good form against us too. Fullbacks like this are hard to find. Plus, he’s a two-footed fullback who can also play right-back.”
“Huu…”
Perez let out a long sigh.
“I’ll admit he’s good. But he also has just as many weaknesses. First of all, we’ve already filled our non-EU quota. His nationality is Korean, so he’ll soon become a player we can’t use. That said—”
“He can still acquire Spanish citizenship. Not right now, but—”
“Korea doesn’t allow dual citizenship.”
“I will take full responsibility and make sure he changes his nationality to Brazilian.”
“That’s not the issue. The nationality…”
Perez frowned at Marcelo’s words.
“You’re thinking that seriously about it?”
Marcelo’s suggestion implied he was also considering placing Ha Sunmoon in the Brazilian national team.
“Yes. He’ll definitely be helpful. I’ve discussed it a lot with Roberto, and it’s hard to find a fullback of his caliber.”
“Hmm… But we already have Ferland Mendy…”
“He can play right-back as well. We do have one youth player coming up, but aren’t we planning to loan him out?”
Perez sighed again at Marcelo’s persistent recommendation.
“Marcelo, shall I be completely honest? Do you want to know why it’s not possible?”
“Yes. Please tell me. I really don’t understand. I’m not just recommending some random player. I’m suggesting someone who isn’t even Brazilian yet, for the sake of the team… I never imagined the president would reject it like this.”
“We don’t have the money.”
“Excuse me?”
Marcelo stared at Perez with a bewildered expression. What kind of club was this? This was Real Madrid. And yet the club president was saying they couldn’t buy a good player because they had no money.
“Does that even make sense?”
“It does. The recent illness caused massive losses for the club. There was also the issue of signing the wrong player… We’re barely managing to keep the squad together. Want me to be even more honest? To buy this kid, we’d have to cut your salary. That’s the current state of our team.”
“But…”
“Why do you think Espanyol is willing to sell their best player? Every club in La Liga is struggling right now. On top of that, according to our sources, Tebas is planning to implement that ridiculous salary cap. If the cap is applied, we won’t be able to do anything.”
“I see… So that’s the problem…”
“Until our finances recover, we have no plans to sign anyone, and we don’t have the money to let anyone go either. This is the best I can do. In a season or two we’ll have enough breathing room, but not right now. So I hope you’ll respect my position that there’s nothing we can do.”
“It’s a shame. He’s at his cheapest right now…”
“There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Yes. So what should we do?”
Back home after his trip, Ha Sunmoon was on the phone discussing the situation with Felipe.
“To be honest, if an offer comes from Real Madrid, the game is basically over. There’s nothing better than going there. And both Roberto and Marcelo are watching over you? Then that’s perfect. They’ll protect you.”
Felipe’s voice was cheerful as he spoke to Ha Sunmoon. The fact that legends in the same position were looking favorably on him, combined with the possibility of a move to Real Madrid and acquiring Brazilian nationality, was incredibly good news for a Brazilian like Felipe.
“With me here, the chances of you successfully obtaining Brazilian citizenship are very high. And since there aren’t many players with your kind of talent in that position in Brazil, if you perform well you could even get called up to the national team. It’s all good news. The problem is… your family… but…”
Ha Sunmoon was undeniably Korean. Especially with his mother still clearly in the picture, Felipe knew there would be complications, so he held back a little.
“I’ll think about the Brazilian nationality issue for now. Please focus on pursuing a transfer to Real Madrid first.”
“Alright. Got it. Wait—what?! Damn it! Those bastards at Espanyol!”
The sudden curse from the usually calm Felipe startled Ha Sunmoon.
“Things have gotten complicated. Espanyol says they won’t allow a transfer to another Spanish club. They’re the ones selling because they have no money, yet they’re making all these ridiculous demands.”
Wow~! Real Madrid transfer blocked! Damn, Espanyol is playing dirty! No transfers within the league? Are you kidding me?
“They’re worried about the boomerang effect, right?”
“Boomerang? Ah! Yes, that’s the perfect way to put it. I’ll have to talk with Espanyol first. Banning transfers within the league like this is a bit much. Still, don’t worry. You’re still a popular player. Even in a tough market, there will be places that want you.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Ha Sunmoon ended the call with Felipe.
“Huu…”
Ziiiing—
The message from Diola—no, Clara—that arrived while his head was spinning was actually a welcome distraction.
Going out?
“I need to clear my head. Besides… I can’t keep living in just my training kit forever.”
Clive Harrison had no intention of rushing him. Now that he understood the current football landscape, he knew Ha Sunmoon would naturally end up in the Premier League, where money was plentiful.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah.”
She began picking out some rather luxurious clothes.
“You’ve really grown a lot. And those muscles… wow…”
Before seriously choosing outfits, Clara looked over Ha Sunmoon’s body and couldn’t help commenting.
“You’re 178cm now? How tall are you going to get?”
“I don’t know. My knees and ankles kept tingling for a while. I don’t feel that anymore lately though.”
“Then you’ve probably almost finished growing. Still, should we get clothes a little big?”
Ha Sunmoon nodded. After all, he might still grow more.
“Just in case, let’s not buy too many. Just pick out a few nice ones for going out or important occasions.”
Dressed in stylish new clothes and accompanied by a satisfied Clara, Ha Sunmoon headed to the nice restaurant they had visited before.
“But your team really has no answers. They made you re-sign and now they’re suddenly telling you to leave.”
“Hmm… yeah.”
Normally he would have defended Espanyol, but his affection for the club had cooled somewhat, so he simply listened. He really was upset.
“Look at Barcelona. They treat their players so well.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! There’s no comparison with Espanyol. We…”
“Huh? Why is everything blowing up all of a sudden?”
Clara, who had been subtly criticizing Espanyol while trying to raise Barcelona’s appeal, kept getting notifications on her phone and had to check them.
“What?”
Almost every group chat she was in was in chaos.
Clara stared at Ha Sunmoon with a blank expression.
What’s with her?
It wasn’t Espanyol that was collapsing.
The one that was truly about to fall apart was Barcelona.