"...Sergeyevsky, a commentator for St. Petersburg Television, mentioned something that I think he is correct about. Everyone knows how well Chen Yingxiong is playing. He's only nineteen years old. I think as long as he has a normal brain, he won't continue to stay in Russia. He will definitely transfer—there were rumors as early as last winter that Zenit intended to renew Chen Yingxiong's contract, but Chen Yingxiong's agent refused... Think about it, the contract Chen Yingxiong signed with the club was only for two years! An eighteen-year-old player only signs a two-year contract with the club. Isn't his intention obvious enough?"

Chen Yingxiong might leave Zenit St. Petersburg. As time went by, the cessation of his contract renewal negotiations with the club was no longer news.

But yesterday, when Sergeyevsky brought up the old topic, everyone suddenly felt that the matter was closer to them again.

Because Chen Yingxiong was unwilling to renew his contract, Zenit would definitely not wait until the end of the season of other European leagues to start preparing to sell their players. Those cunning foxes would only need to delay for ten days or half a month, and Zenit would give in and agree to any conditions—because if they didn't agree, they wouldn't get a penny.

Although they could use this to let Chen Yingxiong play his last full season for the team, what was the use? Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? For Advocaat, desperately keeping Chen Yingxiong was for making a grand display in the Champions League, not for dealing with domestic leagues.

Therefore, Zenit would definitely sign this transfer deal before June 30.

Chen Yingxiong's departure was a foregone conclusion. The only suspense now was how he would leave and which club he would go to.

At the beginning of the season, Zenit St. Petersburg cleverly leaked the inside story of Chen Yingxiong's unfavorable contract renewal negotiations with the club through media outlets that had good relations with them.

They intended to use this method to put pressure on Chen Yingxiong and his agent, thereby forcing the other party back to the negotiating table.

Many Zenit fans were indeed very dissatisfied with Chen Yingxiong's "ungrateful" behavior.

When Chen Yingxiong was just an unknown nobody, who took him in? Who gave him the opportunity to play in the first team? Who gave him a contract with a weekly salary of 40,000 euros when he had only played for the team for less than half a season? It was Zenit St. Petersburg.

Now that he was famous and had grown wings, had he forgotten Zenit St. Petersburg's kindness in nurturing him?

No, we absolutely disagree!

So, before the start of the season, there were actually quite a few voices among Zenit fans denouncing Chen Yingxiong.

Chen Yingxiong didn't pay attention to it at the time because there was no way to deal with it. To say that he was loyal to Zenit, that his heart could be seen by the sun and the moon? That was just deceiving himself. How could he leave if he said that? If he really left, wouldn't his reputation be even worse? Chen Yingxiong didn't care about his reputation in the media, but he cared about his reputation in the hearts of the fans.

Although he didn't have a high level of education, hadn't received any high-level education, and hadn't even finished high school, he wasn't stupid. In fact, in the Chinese sports world, although the general cultural quality is low and the level of education is low, those who can succeed in the end are definitely not fools. Among those world champions, how many are idiots who don't understand anything?

Chen Yingxiong also knew how important his image in the hearts of the fans was.

Therefore, it was even more impossible for him to directly respond by saying, "That's right, I'm going to leave." That would be adding fuel to the fire and was even more undesirable.

All he could do was score goals, score goals, and keep scoring goals. Use goals to change the fans' impression of him, use goals to dispel the fans' doubts—I didn't say I would definitely leave, nor did I say I would definitely not leave. If you think I will definitely not leave because I keep scoring goals, that's your business. In the end, even if I really leave, you can't say that I'm untrustworthy, that actors are heartless, and prostitutes are unfaithful…

Sure enough, his crazy scoring quickly attracted everyone's attention, not only the fans, but also the media.

Those fans who had previously scolded Chen Yingxiong for being "ungrateful" stopped talking and were all cheering for Chen Yingxiong's goals in the stands and in front of the TV. And those media outlets that had previously hyped up the grievances between Chen Yingxiong and the club also threw away such worthless news. At this time, Chen Yingxiong, who was constantly scoring goals, was the only one worth reporting!

So, when Chen Yingxiong started scoring goals like crazy, the little problems between him and the club were naturally no longer mentioned and gradually forgotten.

Now it was brought up again. Because the time had already entered mid-April.

If Zenit didn't take any action, it would be too late.

The media had already reported that Chen Yingxiong's agent was promoting his player everywhere, and some European clubs had indeed expressed interest in Chen Yingxiong.

If Zenit didn't take action, they were afraid that they would end up losing both the player and the money.

※※※

The players of Zenit St. Petersburg all knew that Chen Yingxiong planned to leave the team this summer. He had never deliberately concealed it. When teammates asked him, he would tell them the truth.

He didn't think it was anything shameful and there was no need to hide it.

People go to high places and water flows to low places. It's normal for me to pursue a bigger stage. There's no need to make a fuss.

Some teammates also asked Chen Yingxiong where he planned to go.

"Hey, Yingxiong, which team are you planning to go to?" Arshavin often discussed this type of question with Chen Yingxiong. He was also very interested in transferring—he had this idea for more than just a day or two or a month or two.

"I don't know, Shava. It depends on which team is willing to pay for me..." Chen Yingxiong had become more realistic now because the feedback he received from Dekura forced him to abandon his fantasy of going to a top club. Even if he performed well in the Russian Super League, even if he performed well in the UEFA Cup, he lacked sufficient attraction for top clubs. Perhaps some top clubs were interested in him, but it was only to the extent of "Oh, there's such a person," and hadn't reached the point of "Damn it! No matter how much it costs, buy him for me."

Currently, Chen Yingxiong was the most likely person to leave the team in Zenit, but in terms of having the strength to leave Zenit and pursue a bigger stage, Arshavin was definitely one of them. There were only four days between his birthday and Chen Yingxiong's. Chen Yingxiong's was May 25, and his was May 29. In other words, in just over a month, Chen Yingxiong would be twenty years old, and he would be twenty-six years old.

A twenty-six-year-old person was still messing around in the Russian Super League. Time was passing by. If he waited any longer, he probably wouldn't be able to get out of Russia in this lifetime.

Therefore, his desire to leave Zenit and venture into the top European leagues was getting stronger and stronger.

Therefore, he always pulled Chen Yingxiong to discuss this issue.

Among his best friends in the team, Chen Yingxiong was the most likely to leave the team as soon as possible. Kerzhakov, Anyukov, Denisov... these people didn't have the strength to go out. Martin Škrtel had the strength, but he had already left. He couldn't possibly fly to Liverpool to chat with Škrtel, right?

"Where do you want to go?"

"If possible, of course, I want to go to a top club... What about you?"

"I want to go to Barcelona!" It was no secret that Arshavin was a Barcelona fan.

"I think you have the strength to go!" Chen Yingxiong sincerely felt that Arshavin had the strength to gain a foothold in Barcelona. His only shortcoming was that he wasn't famous enough. Arshavin had the technique, the speed, and was the number ten of the Russian national team. Couldn't he go to Barcelona?

But the reality was that he couldn't go. Barcelona looked down on him...

"They're not interested in me," Arshavin shook his head.

See, even Barcelona looked down on the number ten of the Russian national team, the core figure of this European Championship qualifier. Let alone himself.

From Arshavin, Chen Yingxiong deeply realized how impossible it was to go to a top club...

The two unlucky guys who wanted to leave but didn't know where they should go fell silent.

※※※

Sasania certainly knew what the situation was now. Chen Yingxiong's agent was promoting his player to various clubs, and in fact, Zenit St. Petersburg was also doing so.

They priced Chen Yingxiong at 18 million euros and promoted him to many European clubs, hoping to get a response.

But most of the responses were not optimistic—those clubs generally thought 18 million was too expensive.

Even if Chen Yingxiong was talented, a player who had only played in professional leagues for less than two seasons was definitely not worth that price.

What bothered him was that as time went by, this price could only get lower, definitely not higher... Even if Chen Yingxiong performed better, it was absolutely impossible. Because those clubs could completely wait until July 1, contact him privately, sign a contract, and then wait for Chen Yingxiong to complete his contract with Zenit and leave as a free transfer. Zenit wouldn't earn a penny then.

As the team's general manager, he absolutely wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.

He stomped his foot and gritted his teeth.

Okay, lower the price!

Fifteen million! It really can't be any lower! Closing down sale! Once it's gone, it's gone! Don't miss it! Take a look, take a look! The top scorer of the Russian Super League last season! Scored twenty-seven goals in a season like he was in heat! And he broke the Russian Super League record! Currently ranked second in the UEFA Cup scorer list, nine goals in four league games! Such a forward who is particularly good at scoring goals and particularly good at fighting is only selling for fifteen million euros, which is simply an unbelievably super-super-super-low price!

Oh my god! Such an excellent forward only costs fifteen million! My ears didn't hear it wrong, right? My eyes aren't blind, right?

Yes, you didn't hear it wrong, and you're not blind! Such an excellent center forward really only costs fifteen million euros! Really only costs fifteen million euros! It can't be cheaper!!

What are you still hesitating about? What are you still waiting for? Quickly pick up the phone and order! The first five clubs to call can also enjoy a free five-day tour of St. Petersburg! Time is limited, don't miss the opportunity!!

※※※

ps, take a look, take a look!

What a good-looking book!

What are you still hesitating about? Quickly pick up the mouse in your hand and click "I want to vote for a monthly ticket"!

Every fifty monthly tickets earns a bonus chapter! Yes! You didn't hear it wrong, every fifty monthly tickets earns a bonus chapter!