"Mr. Klopp, may I make a few small requests?"
"A contract this good and you're still not satisfied? You'd better not push your luck, kid!" Watzke snapped before Klopp could respond.
Klopp frowned slightly and asked, "Is there something you're unhappy with?"
"No, I'm very satisfied with the contract, but I'd like to add a few clauses!" Ye Chen replied earnestly.
"Go ahead."
"First, goal bonuses. What kind of rewards will there be if I reach 15 goals, 20 goals, or even 30 goals?"
"Additionally, what about winning the Golden Boot, the Bundesliga championship, or the Champions League title? What rewards would those bring?"
"Lastly, I'd like my salary to increase by 10% annually!"
Watzke raised an eyebrow. "Kid, do you even know what you're saying? Do you think Dortmund has a shot at the title this year? Whether it's the Bundesliga or the Champions League, we're not in contention!"
Ye Chen shrugged. "The Champions League might be a stretch this year, but the league title is still possible. After all, we're only six rounds into the seasonâanything can happen!"
"Do you even understand football?" Watzke questioned.
Klopp, however, chuckled. "Alright, what do you think would be appropriate?"
"A cumulative total of 15 goals plus assists earns â¬500,000; 20 goals â¬1 million; 30 goals â¬1.5 million; 40 goals â¬2 million; and 50 goals â¬2.5 million!"
"You want to add all of these clauses?"
"Of course! If I don't achieve them, you don't have to pay. It's just a little incentive!"
"Anything else?"
"â¬1 million for winning the Champions League!"
"â¬800,000 for the league title!"
"An annual 10% salary increase!"
Klopp looked at the young man speaking confidently and momentarily regretted his generosity.
This kid was a fox in disguise.
But as Ye Chen pointed out, if he didn't perform, these clauses were just ink on paper. If he did deliver such numbers, Klopp would gladly pay.
"Anything else?"
"Of course!" Ye Chen nodded. "â¬300,000 for making the Bundesliga Team of the Season, â¬500,000 for the Champions League Team of the Season, â¬500,000 for the Champions League Golden Boot, and another â¬500,000 for the Golden Boy award!"
Watzke watched Ye Chen rattle off demands, not angry but suppressing laughter instead.
The kid was just too cute!
Did he seriously think these honors were easy to win?
"Golden Boy for â¬500,000? Why not make it â¬5 million?" Watzke joked with a grin.
"You said it!" Ye Chen's eyes lit up as he turned to Klopp. "Sir, you heard himâWatzke said it!"
Klopp shook his head. "Forget â¬5 million; let's make it â¬1 million. But winning the Golden Boy isn't easy!"
"No problem, just write it in!" Ye Chen replied calmly.
After half an hour of negotiation, the final contractâspanning three full pagesâwas completed.
Ye Chen's confidence in himself was staggering.
But the more confident he was, the happier Klopp became.
He liked players with confidence and personalityâas long as they had the ability to back it up.
Ye Chen's base salary was â¬1 million annually, but if he fulfilled all the bonus clauses, his total earnings would exceed â¬5 million.
Could he achieve it all?
Only if he were a god!
The three men looked at Ye Chen as though he were a joke.
But Ye Chen didn't careâhe was ready to prove them wrong.
As a professional club, Borussia Dortmund naturally held a press conference to announce new signings.
For this event, Dortmund specifically invited Chinese media based in Germany.
Initially, Titan Sports Weekly wasn't interested in attending.
But when Watzke personally called, promising a surprise, they agreed to come.
At 3 p.m., Klopp brought Ye Chen to the press conference hall, where only five or six reporters were present, including one with black hair, black eyes, and yellow-toned skinâa strikingly beautiful woman.
Ye Chen immediately noticed her and smiled, but unfortunately, she didn't seem to notice him.
"Welcome to Dortmund!"
"Today, we're holding this press conference to introduce a new signing: a 17-year-old young player from China!" the club's spokesperson announced with a smile.
The reporters murmured amongst themselves.
"A press conference for a 17-year-old?"
"What is Klopp up to?"
"He looks familiar..."
One reporter recognized him immediately. "Isn't this the same Ye Chen who was expelled from the Chinese national team and released by Manchester United? What's he doing in Dortmund? What happened in between?"
Klopp smiled and stood up. "Let me introduce you to our new star striker!"
Ye Chen stood up as Klopp continued, "This is Ye Chen, 17 years old, a former Manchester United academy player from China. He passed Dortmund's trials yesterday and has signed a four-year professional contract with the first team!"
The room buzzed with realization.
"Oh! He's the so-called 'Beckham 2.0'!"
"Wasn't he the one who scored that stunning midfield goal? Incredible!"
"Dortmund moved fast to sign him!"
"Wait, Coach Klopp, you mean the first team, not the U18s or the reserves?"
Though there were only a few reporters, the room suddenly felt lively.
Klopp nodded. "You heard me right. Dortmund has officially registered Ye Chen as a first-team player. He'll be in the squad for the upcoming away match against Mainz."
Mainz was Klopp's former club, the team he had once led to promotion to the Bundesliga. Beating them was essential to prevent Bayern from widening the points gap.
The reporters were stunned.
"He's playing right after signing?"
"Does Klopp really rate him that highly?"
"As far as I know, Chinese players are generally weak. Was this signing made purely for the Chinese market?"
The questions came flying, but Klopp gestured for calm. "Let's take questions one at a time."
"Let's address the third question first: Did you sign him just for the Chinese market?" asked a blonde-haired, blue-eyed reporter from Kicker.
Klopp turned to the Chinese journalist. "You're the specially invited reporter from China, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Klopp. Hello!" she replied in fluent German.
The exchange made the other reporters jump to conclusions.
So that's it. Dortmund signed him for the Chinese market.
Their headlines were already forming:
"Dortmund Signs Chinese Player for Market Expansion"
"Dortmund Looks to Tap into the Far East"
As for the player's identity?
Did it even matter?