Mendes' operations had officially begun the moment the contract was signed!
Football's most popular websites were flooded with posts about Yecheng's transfer:
⢠"Manchester United makes an official £30 million bid to Dortmund, the countdown to Ye's return to the Theater of Dreams begins!"
⢠"Mourinho: Ye is the striker every coach needs. Real Madrid welcomes you!"
⢠"Barcelona president: Our offer for Ye is to support Messi, not for the Chinese market."
⢠"Wenger: Ye is an exciting talent who will surely succeed in England!"
At the same time, six top clubs submitted offers for Yecheng.
Manchester United appeared the most sincere, while Bayern Munich's offer was the lowest. Meanwhile, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Chelsea all proposed â¬30 million.
The reason for these simultaneous bids was simple: an article in Kicker magazine.
In Germany and across European football, Kicker holds considerable authority. Their feature article deeply analyzed Yecheng from the perspectives of player skills, future potential, and market value, ultimately concluding that Yecheng was destined to become the leading superstar of Asia.
Despite this, Dortmund hoped to renew Yecheng's contract, with the club's owner even personally meeting him for the first time.
However, Yecheng entrusted all transfer-related matters to Mendes. His job was simply to focus on training, leaving everything else to be handled behind the scenes.
Mendes' instructions were clear: "Don't respond to transfer rumors. Just train, and wait for the results."
Yecheng gladly complied, focusing solely on his training.
Top clubs, like sharks drawn to blood, made their earnest bids for various motives. Meanwhile, Dortmund's management began to pay attention to the young player who had only been with them for a month.
Initially, Yecheng had signed a "Future Star" contract with an annual salary of one million euros, comparable to that of Götze. The contract was considered sincere at the time, especially since it included every bonus clause Yecheng had requestedâsuch as a â¬5,000 bonus for making the Bundesliga Team of the Month.
At the time, the club didn't believe he could achieve this, considering the Bundesliga was teeming with talent.
However, starting with the match against Augsburg, then Bremen, and most recently Cologne, Yecheng was crowned MVP in three consecutive matches, scoring three hat-tricks and providing one assist!
That â¬5,000 bonus? Practically guaranteed.
This month, Dortmund had two matches remaining: the second round of the German Cup against Dynamo Dresden and an away game against Stuttgart.
The two matches were just two days apart. Klopp planned to field a half-reserve lineup for the German Cup and the main lineup against Stuttgart.
Stuttgart, currently fifth in the league, posed a formidable challenge.
In the Bundesliga standings, Bayern Munich was the undisputed leader. Yecheng's meteoric rise had pushed Dortmund back into second place, followed by their arch-rivals Schalke 04, led by striker Huntelaar, in third. Fourth place belonged to Hannover 96, who had defeated both Dortmund (2â1) and Bayern (2â1) earlier in the season.
The upcoming away match against Stuttgart in the 11th round was undoubtedly a high-stakes clash.
At Stuttgart's home ground, coach Ralph Rangnick watched a post-match interview with Yecheng, a stern expression on his face.
In the clip, after facing a confrontational reporter, Yecheng coolly remarked, "Five consecutive hat-tricks should be a bit better than four, right?" Rangnick paused the video.
"Did you all hear what he said?" Rangnick asked his players through gritted teeth.
He replayed the clip, then snapped, "Keep your eyes open and remember this young man!"
"He's the hottest rookie in the Bundesliga right now!"
"Four consecutive hat-tricks!"
"He's impressive, but he wants to make history by stepping over us. Are you okay with that?"
"Are you willing to be his stepping stone, the backdrop to his record-breaking achievements?" Rangnick's voice grew louder, his bulging eyes glaring at the players.
The team, newly promoted to the second division last season, had performed well in October: a 4â2 victory over 1860 Munich, a dramatic 1â1 equalizer against Aachen, and a clean 2â0 win against Braunschweig.
Initially, Rangnick planned to forgo the German Cup match against Dortmund. But after watching Yecheng's interview, his mindset shifted.
They might lose, but they wouldn't let themselves become the backdrop to a record-breaking performance.
His players' spirits were ignited.
"No way we're okay with it!"
"Coach, let's stop him!"
"Let's see what a Bundesliga team is really made of!"
Rangnick smirked. "I've analyzed Yecheng's last match. Beating Dortmund might be tough, but stopping Yecheng? Not so hard! I've named this strategy 'Leaf-Cutting.'"
The players roared their approval.
Meanwhile, at Dortmund's training ground, Klopp pulled Yecheng aside. "Ye, I'm planning to make you the tactical core for the next match."
Given the weaker Cup opponent, Klopp wanted to experiment with a new system. If it worked, Dortmund's Champions League campaign in the second half of the season could unleash a "Yellow Storm."
"Me? Tactical core?"
"Why, is there a problem?" Klopp raised an eyebrow.
"No problem, boss!" Yecheng replied, his blood surging with excitement.
Since joining Dortmund, Yecheng had steadily progressedâfrom substitute in his debut to starter in his fourth game, and now the tactical core.
Every match marked an improvement, and he was determined to keep climbing.