Chapter 674 - 126: The Premier League’s Top Star! Wang Shuo Has Arrived! Pioneer of a Maradona-Style Legend! The Biggest Transfer in History

Because he was also due for contract renewal negotiations.

If they could sign Van Persie, then there would be no need to renew the contract of the 30-year-old Berbatov.

...

Wang Shuo to Join Arsenal!

The news spread rapidly around the world in a very short amount of time.

The media quickly took notice. The British press, in particular, discovered that Wang Shuo had followed Arsenal’s official Twitter account, which immediately drew intense interest from Premier League fans.

Arsenal fans were ecstatic!

This was Wang Shuo!

If the signing really went through, it would undoubtedly be the biggest transfer in Arsenal’s history!

Dortmund fans, on the other hand, were disheartened by the news.

However, they had all anticipated this for a while.

Dortmund officials had also been continuously leaking various stories to the media to guide public opinion and manage fan expectations.

So, when the news broke, Dortmund fans, though disappointed, expressed their understanding.

Bild analyzed that by selling Wang Shuo, Dortmund could free up significant salary space while also receiving a €60 million transfer fee. For the Bumblebees, this was a much-needed windfall.

Additionally, Bild revealed that besides signing Wang Shuo, Arsenal had also decided to sign Dortmund’s center-back, Subotic.

The Gunners’ offer was a staggering €18 million, a price that was hard for Dortmund to refuse.

Subotic himself was not against joining Arsenal, and the transfer was still under negotiation.

On Arsenal’s end, after selling Fabregas, Nasri, and Clichy, they also sold 29-year-old French right-back Sagna for €15 million. His destination was once again Manchester City.

That summer, Blue Moon had poached three key starters from the Gunners in one fell swoop.

Russian star Arshavin was transferred to Zenit St. Petersburg for €15 million.

Brazilian midfielder Denilson also departed for a transfer fee of €8 million, Bentner left for €12 million, and Eboue was sold for €3.5 million.

This was interpreted by outsiders as Arsenal selling off everything they had to raise money for Wang Shuo’s signing.

After offloading a batch of players, Subotic’s transfer was finally completed for a fee of €18 million.

In addition, after selling Sagna, Arsenal failed in their attempt to sign Ligue 1 player Olivier and instead signed Lichsteiner from Serie A club Lazio for €10 million.

Shortly after, news began to circulate that Manchester United’s Ferguson had made a formal offer for Arsenal’s Van Persie.

In an interview with reporters, Van Persie stated that he was about to renew his contract with Arsenal and would not consider joining Manchester United.

Arsenal also publicly announced that they had rejected Manchester United’s first offer.

But before long, the Red Demon made a second offer, once again without publicly disclosing the specific transfer fee.

As a result, it was once again rejected by Arsenal.

Wenger came forward and stated in a media interview that he would absolutely not sell Van Persie to Manchester United!

However, Ferguson submitted a third offer, raising the transfer fee yet again.

This time, Van Persie’s agent came forward. In a media interview, he stated that after Arsenal signed Wang Shuo, his client was concerned about his position on the team and was considering other possibilities.

"Joining Manchester United is no longer an impossible option for my client."

But Wenger still rejected Manchester United’s offer.

This made Ferguson extremely anxious, fearing that Van Persie might transfer to another team like Barça.

This time, Van Persie came forward himself, publicly stating to the media that he would absolutely not go to other teams like Barça, Manchester City, or Juventus.

"I want to go to Manchester United!"

This sparked intense outrage among Arsenal fans.

’So much for not going to Manchester United. You’re going back on your word this quickly?’

But Wenger remained adamant, refusing to sell Van Persie to Manchester United.

The Dutch striker had no shortage of buyers.

It was under these circumstances that Ferguson personally called Wenger.

No one knows what the two discussed on the phone, only that the call definitely took place.

And after the call, Arsenal accepted Manchester United’s offer.

€30 million, plus the young French prospect from Manchester United’s youth academy, Paul Pogba!

The BBC revealed that when Paul Pogba was at Le Havre, Wenger had been the first to scout him. However, Manchester United had poached him using irregular methods, for which Le Havre had even sued them.

Now, Paul Pogba was 18 years old but had yet to make an appearance for Manchester United’s first team, and the player was growing impatient.

At this point, Wenger stepped in, promising Paul Pogba first-team opportunities and persuading his fellow Frenchman to join.

It was after Van Persie’s move to Manchester United was officially announced that Arsenal formally declared they had reached an agreement on personal terms with Wang Shuo’s team.

Arsenal had signed the 20-year-old Chinese striker from Dortmund for a transfer fee of €60 million!

Wang Shuo had finally arrived!