Chapter 163: The Battlefield After the Season's End

"I only want to play for a team that continues to forge ahead."

Tsubasa Ozora's words instantly ignited his transfer saga to a fever pitch. Almost anyone who had followed the recent seasons could easily detect his strong desire to move away from his current club.

Clearly, the small club Villarreal did not fit Tsubasa's description of "a team that continues to forge ahead."

So, which team did he actually want to join?

Unlike other star players, his release clause was a mere 110 million Euros. Relative to a star of his caliber, this was practically a bargain price. The major European giants could entirely bypass negotiations with Villarreal and directly trigger his buyout clause.

Therefore, the crucial question was precisely where Tsubasa wanted to go, leaving him in complete control of the initiative.

Yet, no matter how the outside world speculated, Tsubasa remained tight-lipped this time, letting the storms of rumors rage around him.

All European football media outlets believed that with a buyout clause of only 110 million Euros, Tsubasa would undoubtedly leave his current club, and his next destination would likely be a Premier League team.

According to *The Sun* reporter Rob Beasley, if Tsubasa wished to transfer to a financially struggling Arsenal, he might need to exert pressure on Villarreal and Fran Escribá.

However, Tsubasa himself remained completely silent. Through his agent Mendes, he had already indicated regarding his transfer matter that he would not engage in excessive negotiations with Villarreal.

Meanwhile, major Spanish media outlets reported that Tsubasa hoped to transfer to Real Madrid and had already informed the Villarreal club accordingly.

According to a report by *AS*, Zinedine Zidane had already held multiple communications with Tsubasa's agent, Mendes.

It seemed that the transfer farce between Tsubasa and Real Madrid was escalating continuously.

Just as external observers believed Tsubasa and Real Madrid were flirting and on the verge of mutual affection, the financial powerhouse Manchester City suddenly crashed into the transfer fray.

*De Telegraaf* claimed that Manchester City would likely shatter Real Madrid's dreams. Two weeks before the opening of the summer transfer window, Manchester City's higher-ups suddenly made private contact with Villarreal, hoping to bring Tsubasa to Manchester.

During the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash between Villarreal and Manchester City last season, Tsubasa's astonishing performance of scoring two hat-tricks against City had left a deep impression on the Abu Dhabi consortium.

Manchester City's hierarchy made a flurry of phone calls to Villarreal, showing utmost sincerity, and the two sides held at least one face-to-face meeting. Manchester City's management was genuinely determined to pull off this deal.

During the talks, Manchester City stated they were willing to pay Tsubasa's 110-million-Euro release clause and offer him a signing bonus exceeding ten million Euros, hoping that Villarreal's leadership could persuade Tsubasa to abandon the idea of joining Real Madrid.

Manchester City believed that successfully signing Tsubasa would truly make them the focal point of world football in the truest sense.

However, Manchester City's confidence was not entirely rock-solid, as Sergio Agüero remained in Pep Guardiola's plans for the upcoming season, and Tsubasa had repeatedly expressed his dislike for joining a new team only to immediately engage in a positional rivalry with the squad's marquee star.

Even so, Manchester City was resolved to make one final push at the eleventh hour.

Among the various European giants, Paris Saint-Germain was the first to be eliminated from the race.

Through Mendes, Tsubasa had explicitly rejected the bid from French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain, stating that his most desired destination was a club with a glorious history.

Meanwhile, Manchester City's local arch-rivals had initiated contact with Tsubasa as early as last summer. Their sincerity was noticeably greater than Manchester City's, leaving City at a disadvantage in the race for Tsubasa due to their delayed entry.

Following Zlatan Ibrahimović's injury last season, Manchester United manager José Mourinho had long since publicly declared, "Who wouldn't want to possess a genius like Tsubasa? He is the finest player in the world, and perhaps even one of the greatest in the history of world football."

Right before Tsubasa prepared to return to his home country, Manchester United CEO Ed Woodward hurried to the city of Villarreal to visit Tsubasa as he was packing his luggage.

Due to tight confidentiality measures, this piece of news went unnoticed by any media outlets at the time, until Tsubasa was about to board his flight, when the Spanish newspaper *Mundo Deportivo* finally un-earthed the lead.

Woodward's descent upon Villarreal was universally interpreted by the outside world as Manchester United officially hoisting the curtain on their pursuit of Tsubasa.

Regardless of whether it was Manchester City, Real Madrid, Manchester United, or the already rejected Paris Saint-Germain, all four clubs intended to secure Tsubasa's transfer simply by triggering his 110-million-Euro buyout clause directly. Such a price was entirely unaffordable for most non-elite clubs.

For the vast majority of teams, Tsubasa was a "luxury item" meant only to be admired from afar rather than possessed.

Just as Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Manchester United were engaged in a fierce, fiery battle from afar over Tsubasa, a piece of news completely fanned these flames to their absolute peak.

According to a report by *The Mirror*, Tsubasa had commissioned Mendes today to look for a villa in Manchester.

The luxury residence scouted by Mendes for Tsubasa in Manchester was valued at approximately two million British pounds.

In addition to standard amenities, this lavish mansion boasted five double bedrooms, a home cinema, a sun terrace, a piano room with a bar, and a three-car garage equipped with a gym.

The ground floor featured three double rooms, including a master suite complete with a wardrobe, en-suite facilities, and a steam room, while two additional bedrooms and the cinema room were located on the second floor. The mansion also came with a fairly large garden equipped with football goalposts.

Moreover, having suffered greatly from the fatigue of traveling for national team duties, Tsubasa's new residence was situated just 1.1 miles away from Manchester Airport.

The real estate agent specially invited by *The Mirror* stated: "This is a completely modern luxury mansion, and the buyer could even add another floor. After the expansion, it could accommodate two more bedrooms and a bathroom."

Tsubasa's choice of a residence in Manchester undoubtedly confirmed his imminent transfer to one of the city's two powerhouse clubs.

Meanwhile, Villarreal manager Fran Escribá said in an interview: "Regarding this story, the only thing I can say is that I will not talk about it anymore, because there are already enough rumors. The outside world is filled with various versions of stories, some of which are simply untrue and fabricated by uninformed people."

"All I can tell you is that as far as the transfer rumors concerning him are concerned, I have said everything I need to say, and I do not wish to say anything more at present."

However, Escribá did concede that he was not counting on Tsubasa participating in Villarreal's matches for the new season.

"This will not affect the team's tactics or morale; we will continue our preparations. Over the summer, players will arrive, and players will depart."

For a star player of Tsubasa's magnitude, everyone knew that even with a departure via a buyout clause, his final destination could not be decided overnight. After all, negotiations regarding contracts, various compensation packages, and terms upon joining a new team would inevitably be a prolonged process.

Before all that, Tsubasa, standing at the very eye of the transfer vortex, had already departed Spain and returned to his home country to prepare for the eighth round of the Asian Qualifiers for the World Cup, an away match against Syria.

When the groups were initially drawn for this stage of the qualifiers, everyone assumed that Iran, South Korea, or Uzbekistan would be the stumbling blocks for the Chinese national team.

To everyone's surprise, under Tsubasa's leadership, the Chinese team secured a wonderful record of one win and one draw against both Iran and South Korea, and also salvaged a draw away against Uzbekistan. Yet, they inexplicably stumbled against the weakest team in the group, Syria, losing at home—which remained China's sole defeat in this round of qualifiers.

Prior to this round of matches, the Chinese team sat on 12 points from 3 wins, 3 draws, and 1 defeat, ranking second in the group just behind Iran. However, they held only a one-point lead over third-placed South Korea, meaning this match against Syria was one they simply could not afford to lose.

Syria was equally determined to throw everything into winning this match to narrow the gap with fourth-placed Uzbekistan. Thus, neither side could afford a slip-up, making it a true do-or-die battle of survival for both teams!

According to the previously announced squad list, fifteen players from the Syrian side currently played in other leagues, mostly in West Asian nations such as Iraq, Jordan, and Qatar. Their captain, Al Salih, played for Henan Jianye though he had made few appearances that season.

On the other hand, ever since taking charge of the national team, manager Marcello Lippi had continuously built the team around players from Guangzhou Evergrande. Despite the absence of key veterans like Zheng Zhi, six Evergrande players were still selected. In the previous friendly match against the Philippines, the Chinese team—playing without Tsubasa—still secured a resounding 8-1 victory, demonstrating that the squad's tactical chemistry was improving steadily and that the players had developed a deeper understanding of Lippi's tactical arrangements. It was believed that the Chinese warriors would step onto the pitch against their opponents with one hundred percent mutual understanding!

Due to domestic instability, the venue selection for Syria's home matches during the final round of qualifiers had been a winding and torturous process. Before the matches began, Tehran in Iran, Macau, and other locations had all been designated as Syria's home ground at various points. However, just as the fixtures were about to get underway, the Asian Football Confederation ruled that Syria's home matches would be held in Seremban, Malaysia.

Consequently, Syria's home matches against South Korea and Iran were both held at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Seremban. Yet, due to the extremely poor pitch conditions, the team's home venue was relocated once more after those two games to the Hang Jebat Stadium in Malacca.

Affected by Ramadan, the kickoff time for this match was set for 21:45. Although there was no time difference between local Malaysian time and Beijing time, it was the first time many Chinese internationals, including Tsubasa, had encountered such a late kickoff. Over the preceding two days, Lippi had deliberately adjusted the training schedule to a later time in order for the players to acclimate in advance.

Regarding the Chinese team's starting lineup, affected by injuries and suspensions, Lippi made four changes to his starting eleven compared to the previous round. Deng Hanwen and Yu Hanchao, who had performed brilliantly in the friendly matches, entered the starting lineup. Additionally, due to Zheng Zhi's absence, Feng Xiaoting wore the captain's armband.

During the pre-match lineup handshake, Syrian goalkeeper Wajed Al Alma eyed Tsubasa warily and taunted him in English with a wide grin: "Hey, kid, I know you're the Champions League and La Liga top scorer this season, but let me tell you, you won't score a single goal past me! Understand?"

Tsubasa was amused by Al Alma right then and replied with a smile, "Who are you?"

Staring with his wide eyes, Al Alma assumed Tsubasa genuinely did not know his name and prepared to announce it proudly.

However, Tsubasa cut him off preemptively: "Don't bother telling me. I have no interest in knowing the names of players at your level."

Before Al Alma could retort, the referee summoned the players onto the pitch, robbing him of the chance to fire back any harsh words.

Once the match began, neither team bothered with probing; they immediately opened up their formations and engaged in a tit-for-tat offensive battle.

In the 9th minute, China's high press in the attacking third forced an error from the opposing defender. Tsubasa collected the ball outside the penalty area and unleashed a fierce strike, which goalkeeper Al Alma managed to push away with a desperate save!

"Look at that! Look at that!" Al Alma roared at Tsubasa not far away, "I told you you couldn't score, and you really can't!"

"Oh? Feeling cocky already, are we?" Tsubasa felt a slight flash of annoyance and prepared to step up his game.

Unfortunately, just as Tsubasa began to exert himself and China's offense showed signs of life, they were suddenly forced to deal with a fire burning in their own backyard.

In the 10th minute, Syria launched an attack. Al Mawas went down smoothly inside the box following extremely minimal physical contact with Zeng Cheng, prompting the referee to award a penalty kick, while Zeng Cheng also received a yellow card.

Al Mawas subsequently converted the spot-kick, but the referee signaled that attacking players had encroered into the area prematurely, requiring a retake.

Al Mawas calmly slotted the ball home on his second attempt as well. Although Zeng Cheng guessed the correct direction, he was unable to make the save, leaving China trailing 0-1!

"This is going to be humiliating," Tsubasa muttered with a helpless flick of his hand. His absence in the previous match had caused China to lose to Syria in Xi'an; now that he was starting alongside a change in manager to Lippi, losing again would be completely indefensible.

"Keep your heads up! Let's score one goal first! A goal in the first half!" Before the kickoff, Tsubasa continuously rallied his teammates on the pitch.

Upon the restart, he played the ball directly back into his own half, and China's defenders patiently passed it back and forth among themselves, waiting for a momentary opening to materialize.

Meanwhile, Youssef followed Tsubasa every step of the way like a shadow.

Tsubasa did not react particularly strongly; after all, by this point in the season, he was already accustomed to such tight personal marking by opponents. Compared to stars like Fernandinho of Manchester City, Sami Khedira of Juventus, or Casemiro of Real Madrid, what kind of nobody was Youssef?

Huang Bowen collected the ball, swiftly shimmed past an opposing midfielder, and drove quickly down the left flank toward the endline. Muhammad tightly blocked Huang Bowen's attacking route, forcing him to a halt.

Huang Bowen was not foolish enough to force a breakthrough; instead, he quickly flicked a square pass with his left foot to Zhang Xizhe in the center, before accelerating past Muhammad to continue his run along the touchline.