Persuading Modric was easier than Li Ang had imagined.
He had thought that he would need to spend a lot of effort, but in reality, it was relatively smooth. Modric was not satisfied with Dinamo Zagreb's continued loaning of him. He wanted to stabilize. Frequent loaning was a predicament that many young players faced. Some players performed well during the loan period and stayed with their parent team, while many players' development was not optimistic. This did not mean that the young player's talent and ability were not good enough. There were also objective factors. When he arrived at a new team, he needed to adapt to a new environment, new teammates, new tactics, and even a different league style. For young players, it was very difficult. Some players were suited to slowly grow in a stable environment, while some players could adapt to this kind of loaning environment.
Modric wasn't afraid of being loaned out by the club. He was only worried about when this loaning life would end. He wasn't clear about his future, and he didn't know what position Dinamo Zagreb had for him. He was worried that he would continue to be loaned out. His worries weren't unfounded.
In this situation, Li Ang's appearance could be said to be a sudden dawn for the young Modric. It was a huge hope.
Modric had not heard of Sporting de Gijón before, but he only needed to know that it was a team in La Liga. For Modric, being able to play in La Liga was like a dream. Then he learned that this team had actually won the Copa del Rey last season and could participate in the new season's UEFA Europa League!
"Sir, I'm willing to go to Spain," Modric said. Then the shy young man scratched his head. "But I have to discuss it with my father."
Li Ang expressed his understanding. He knew that Modric respected and had deep feelings for his father.
Modric's childhood was not easy. In 1992, civil war broke out in the former Yugoslavia. Modric's family lived a life of exile. His grandfather was killed when Modric was six years old. He was the most important person to Modric. Modric's father also went to the front line. Only he, his mother and sister lived together in a 12-square-meter house. It was also from that time that Modric began to play football with his friends. Later, his father came back from the battlefield and used the military pay that he had saved in exchange for his life. He spent about 250 euros to send his son to the football training camp.
It could be said that Modric's football journey had not been easy. This was also a microcosm of Croatia, a country in the former Yugoslavia, in this era.
*****
More in-depth talks were held in Modric's house.
Modric's parents warmly welcomed Li Ang's visit. Li Ang also enjoyed an authentic Croatian home-cooked meal.
Old Modrich, Lucas Modrich's father, was a retired soldier from the civil war in the former Southern Bloc. He had a strong body and a strong physique.
Old Modric was very proud that Li Ang, the manager of a La Liga team, favored his son. And Li Ang's personal visit to Croatia made the old soldier, who had a straightforward personality, very happy.
Modric Sr. supported and respected his son's choice and agreed to let Modric go to Sporting de Gijón.
However, Modric Sr. had one last question. He was concerned about his son's future at Sporting de Gijón.
Li Ang did not guarantee Modric's main position. He thought about it and told the Modric father and son that Modric would get a lot of opportunities to play in Sporting de Gijón. However, whether or not he could get a main position, it was up to Modric to fight for it.
"Luca will stay in the first team. I think highly of him and will give him time and enough opportunities to play. However, he needs to fight for the main position himself," Li Ang said seriously.
Modric Sr. was very satisfied with Li Ang's answer. He could see that Li Ang was serious and sincere. If Li Ang had promised to give Modric a main position, his father would have been worried and did not believe it.
After settling the matter with the player and his family, the next thing to do was to communicate with the Dinamo Zagreb club and make an offer.
Li Ang still had a certain amount of confidence in this. Modric was a rookie in Dinamo Zagreb and was valued to a certain extent. However, this importance was also limited. Otherwise, they wouldn't have decided to loan Modric out this season. Modric was already nineteen years old. At this age, if the club placed enough importance on him, Modric still had a great chance to play as a substitute in Dinamo Zagreb.
In Li Ang's memory, Modric continued to be loaned out this season. He was loaned to Inker Zagreb in the Croatian League. His performance was outstanding and he even won the Croatian League's best newcomer of the season. This really attracted the attention of the Dinamo Zagreb club. Then, in order to prevent the loss of talent, they immediately signed a long-term 10-year contract with Modric. Although they themselves understood that Modric's future belonged to the five major leagues in Europe, a long-term contract could ensure that when the player was sold in the future, the club would get the most benefits.
Now, without the brilliance of the season with Inker Zagreb, the Dinamo Zagreb club had not really discovered the huge potential and value of Modric. Therefore, the negotiations should not be too difficult.
*****
The negotiations with Dinamo Zagreb did not go as smoothly as Li Ang had imagined.
Dinamo Zagreb had expressed their vigilance towards a La Liga club's sudden request to purchase the team's young player, Luka Modric. To be precise, they had seen a La Liga club's request to purchase Modric and wanted to take advantage of it. In their opinion, the teams in the five major leagues should be suckers. They expressed to Li Ang that Modric was not for sale and refused to sell him.
At this time, Li Ang also realized something. When the other party said that Modric was not for sale, they did not mean that he was not for sale. Instead, Sporting de Gijón's request made Dinamo Zagreb want to take advantage of it. This was also the usual thinking of the teams in the other European leagues when faced with the requests from the five major leagues.
At this time, the attitude of Modric and his family played a role. Modric took the initiative to step forward and expressed his desire to transfer to Sporting de Gijón.
Li Ang also expressed at the right time that Sporting de Gijón did not mind waiting for Modric's contract to expire and getting the young player for free. It should be known that Modric's contract with Dinamo Zagreb currently only had one and a half years left.
*****
Originally, Modric was just a young rookie and was not very valued. Now that the player himself had expressed his desire to leave, this made Dinamo Zagreb, who had originally wanted to take advantage of Sporting de Gijón, feel helpless.
Then, Li Ang gave Dinamo Zagreb an offer: 800,000 euros!
This offer broke Dinamo Zagreb's psychological barrier because, with Modric's current performance and ability, 800,000 euros was definitely a good price.
This made Dinamo Zagreb have a much better impression of Sporting de Gijón's China manager, and they accepted the offer.
When Modric and his family found out that Sporting de Gijón was willing to pay 800,000 euros in order to get him, they were very touched. It should be known that 800,000 euros was enough to buy an absolute main player in Dinamo Zagreb's first team.
Li Ang cut the Gordian knot. Although Sporting de Gijón did not have enough funds now, when it was time to make a move, Li Ang would not hesitate. 800,000 euros to directly settle this transfer was more important than anything else.
Modric was the midfield general in Li Ang's blueprint for the next ten years or more!
With the magic flute in hand, the world is mine!
PS: Second update.
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