"Arsenal 4–0 sweep over Liverpool! One foot already in the League Cup final!"
"Hat-trick of assists in one half! A one-of-a-kind existence!"
"One goal and three assists! Kai shines at the Emirates!"
"Unstoppable firepower! An Arsenal that cannot be contained!"
After the match against Liverpool,
European football exploded with heated discussion.
The outside world was stunned.
In the League Cup semifinal first leg this season,
at the Emirates, Liverpool had been completely helpless—
swept aside 4–0 by Arsenal led by Kai!
In the eyes of many,
with the first leg ending in such a lopsided scoreline,
the chances of Liverpool overturning the deficit back at Anfield
were practically zero.
"Back in the Premier League a month or two ago, Kai had already proven himself at Anfield!"
"Liverpool may be a historic giant in England,
but they can't compare with this season's Arsenal!"
The London media were blunt.
Fans everywhere dove into fierce debate.
And as December's final match concluded,
2011 officially came to a close.
Time had marched into 2012.
And with the arrival of January,
the very first thing to seize the attention of football fans
was an event that sent shockwaves across the entire European stage—
the winter transfer window was open!
Normally, the winter window never carried the same weight as the summer,
since the summer links the end of one season to the start of the next.
But this winter window was different—
it promised far more turbulence than ever before!
The reason was simple:
the battle among Europe's giants for Kai had reignited!
In the Premier League,
Manchester City and Chelsea were the first to move.
The Blue Moon's billionaire ownership made a decision that shocked the world:
"Manchester City ready to trigger Kai's release clause—€500 million bid to pry him from the Emirates!"
That headline sent shockwaves through media and fans alike.
Five hundred million euros.
What did that even mean?
Both journalists and supporters realized they had underestimated City's financial power,
and more importantly,
they had underestimated just how determined the Blue Moon were to land Kai.
At the same time,
they had also underestimated the value Kai now held
in the eyes of every top club's leadership.
Meanwhile at Chelsea—
Abramovich, responding to fans' and players' calls,
decisively sacked André Villas-Boas,
whose presence had thrown the dressing room into chaos.
With the managerial seat temporarily vacant,
Chelsea's assistant coach stepped up as caretaker.
Abramovich laid his cards on the table:
Chelsea too were ready to trigger Kai's €500 million release clause.
And beyond that,
if Kai was willing to bring his talent to Stamford Bridge,
then Chelsea's next manager,
the coaching staff,
even all incoming transfers in the window—
would be determined by Kai himself!
Two English clubs, backed by bottomless wealth,
were openly waging war.
Manchester United refused to sit idly by.
Sir Alex Ferguson, nearing retirement age,
still carried one last obsession—
to lead United once more to glory,
to relive the treble triumph of the late 1990s.
And Ferguson's admiration for Kai
had always been written on his face.
He had often expressed his fondness for Arsenal's captain
in public on more than one occasion.
Now, both Manchester giants
were locked in a frenzied pursuit of Arsenal's young skipper!
The English press erupted.
The winter window had only just opened,
yet reporters had no room in their columns for any other player.
Kai alone was linked with countless powerhouses,
weaving a web of speculation across Europe!
Journalists were thrilled.
And this was only the Premier League side of the story.
With winter breaks in other leagues,
those clubs had even more time and energy
to throw themselves into the chase for Kai.
In France,
Paris Saint-Germain—another club fueled by a super-rich consortium—
entered the fray with an earth-shaking bid:
"Paris Saint-Germain also ready to trigger release clause in pursuit of Arsenal captain Kai!"
The French football world was thrown into uproar.
At this time, Ligue 1 was not considered mainstream.
But half a year ago, Paris Saint-Germain received financial backing from a consortium.
Just like Manchester City, they ushered in a golden era of heavy investment!
As soon as the winter transfer window opened, PSG officially announced the signing of tactical mastermind Carlo Ancelotti, who had been dismissed by Chelsea six months earlier.
With a master tactician commanding from the sidelines, PSG's top management were determined to do everything they could to bring Kai under their banner.
The most dazzling superstar in world football today, paired with a tactical genius on the bench—
In the eyes of PSG's ambitious executives, a grand blueprint was beginning to rise!
Meanwhile, in Serie A, both Inter Milan and Napoli put forth offers.
And in La Liga, too, the chase for Kai became a central battlefield!
As Kai's market value skyrocketed, the moment the winter window opened, Transfermarkt reported breaking news:
The current valuation of Arsenal's captain had soared to €200 million!
Compared to just a few months earlier, that was an increase of over €50 million!
By now, Kai had completely established himself as a one-of-a-kind figure in world football!
Florentino Pérez thought carefully, and raised Real Madrid's previous offer of €250 million to €300 million.
"While other giants are hoping to splash out a sky-high fee to directly trigger Kai's release clause, Real Madrid is making serious, concrete offers."
"Florentino is a shrewd old fox. He knows full well that for a player of Kai's caliber, simply throwing down the release clause money isn't realistic."
"Even if you can afford the €500 million buyout, if the player himself doesn't agree, you're powerless!"
"Real Madrid will surely look for alternative strategies, some kind of leverage, to sway Arsenal's captain!"
This was the analysis from Spanish media.
During this period, Jorge Mendes' phone rang nonstop. Countless representatives from elite clubs all wanted to contact Kai through him.
And interestingly, one of those calls came from Barcelona!
Half a season ago, in the summer window, Barcelona's board had publicly declared to the media: having just won another Champions League title, with a fully complete squad and the Xavi-Iniesta-Busquets midfield trio at their peak, there was no need to buy another midfielder.
But after half a season of struggle, Barcelona could no longer sit still!
Now, Kai's market value, reputation, and individual statistics all utterly eclipsed Barcelona's talisman—Lionel Messi!
And six months earlier, in that same summer window, Barcelona had spent over €30 million to bring Cesc Fàbregas back to the Camp Nou.
Yet in Barça's squad, Fàbregas gradually lost his way, unable to find his proper role.
He simply couldn't secure a foothold in the Blaugrana midfield.
This season, more often than not, he was limited to substitute appearances.
Such a reality was completely at odds with the vision Fàbregas had when the former Arsenal captain dreamed of his Barcelona return!
Meanwhile, under José Mourinho's leadership, Real Madrid underwent a clear shift this season.
Last season, despite failing in all major competitions and only managing to win a Copa del Rey, this season Mourinho's Real Madrid came storming back.
At the halfway mark of La Liga, Real Madrid were four points clear of Barcelona, sitting top of the table.
Pep Guardiola could clearly sense it this season:
Xavi was beginning to show signs of aging.
When Xavi wasn't on the pitch, Iniesta occasionally seemed unable to handle the load on his own.
Barcelona's midfield did, indeed, need immediate reinforcements!
Fàbregas' tactical role within Barcelona remained anything but clear.
But when Barcelona finally made up their minds—
Letting go of the arrogance that came with their Champions League triumph—
And decided to once again pursue Kai,
The transfer market had already been turned upside down!
~~----------------------
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