The moment news broke of Manchester United's bid for Su Hang, the transfer market exploded into life.
Transfermarkt immediately released an updated list of the most valuable players in the world.
At the top stood Barcelona's Ronaldinho, valued at €70 million.
Next came Shevchenko at €51 million and Henry at €50 million.
Lampard was priced at €39 million.
Essien and Totti followed at €37 million.
Van Nistelrooy, Eto'o, and Rooney were each worth €36 million.
Buffon, Ballack, and Kaká stood at €35 million.
Nesta came in at €32 million.
Terry at €30 million.
Puyol at €27 million.
The list went on with big names like Vieira, Adriano, Gerrard, Ronaldo, Gilardino, Klose, Beckham, Trezeguet, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Ibrahimović, Zambrotta, and many others.
As captain and top scorer of Real Madrid's treble-winning side, Su Hang naturally appeared on the list—valued at €33 million, just ahead of Nesta.
Manchester United's offer was very close to that figure, showing they were serious. After all, Transfermarkt had clearly labeled Su Hang as a high-risk player, suggesting United were likely to lose money on this deal.
Calderón was livid.
With Zidane already gone, if Su Hang left too, the fans would probably drive him out of office before the summer ended.
"Five and a half million euros! Su, considering what you did for the team last season, we believe you deserve this salary. And we're willing to offer a five-year deal—this is a true mega contract."
Calderón's assistant called again.
This would make Su Hang the highest-paid player at Real Madrid apart from the Ballon d'Or winners and Beckham.
In fact, his salary would even surpass Beckham's.
Beckham earned €6.4 million, the club's top wage. But when he joined, Florentino persuaded then-leader Aznar to pass the "Beckham Law," which reduced the tax rate for foreign players in La Liga.
Normally, players in La Liga paid up to 43% in taxes, but under that law, Beckham only paid 24% for five years—almost half.
That meant his pre-tax salary exceeded €8.4 million.
Yet Real Madrid was now offering Su Hang a pre-tax salary of €9.65 million.
It was a huge investment.
But Su Hang calmly replied over the phone, "I'll think about it. I've got training now—let's talk later."
When Calderón heard that response, he smashed his coffee cup in anger.
Both sides had now entered "Levy mode."
Just as Calderón considered putting Su Hang on ice or pressuring him through the media, the Bavarian giants suddenly jumped into the fray.
Bild: "Bayern Munich officially submits a €37 million bid for Su Hang—hoping Real Madrid's crown prince will grace the Allianz Arena!"
Kicker: "After years of silence, Bayern go all in for the star striker! Coach Magath believes Su Hang can conquer the Bundesliga!"
Sky Sports: "Manchester United face new competition! Beckenbauer declares Su Hang could keep Bayern dominant in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League for the next decade!"
Everyone knew Bayern's reputation for being tight with money—spending over €10 million was like pulling teeth. Yet this time, they'd gone all the way up to €37 million.
They clearly meant business.
Calderón nearly coughed up blood in rage.
The news campaign he'd orchestrated to pressure Su Hang completely backfired.
To make things worse, Su Hang—amid his busy national team schedule—took time to give an interview.
"I'm the captain of Real Madrid," he said firmly. "I've never considered leaving. Everyone can rest easy. As long as I can play at the Bernabéu, I'll never go anywhere else."
He said plenty more after that—but not a single word about renewing his contract.
The fans felt reassured. Su Hang had said it himself—he wasn't leaving.
The lack of renewal, they reasoned, was just because the World Cup was around the corner and he wanted to focus on training.
Besides, this wasn't even his contract year. He still had two years left, right?
But clubs interested in signing him saw something else in that silence.
If Su Hang truly intended to stay, why hadn't he renewed?
Even if it wasn't a contract year, Real Madrid wouldn't normally wait until next season to renew a player like him.
Sooner is always better than later.
Given Calderón's previous attitude, it was obvious—Su Hang was pushing back.
Meanwhile, several top agents reached out to him—among them, the famous super-agent Mino Raiola.
But Raiola quickly found out that Su Hang had already formed his own personal agency earlier that year.
He had complete control over his transfer dealings—yet could always let his team take the blame if needed.
It was a smart setup.
Su Hang's team wasn't just made up of football agents, but also top professionals from other business sectors. Their salaries were high—it was his second major team.
His first was his training and medical team, in charge of his workouts, fitness, recovery, and rehabilitation.
The investment was enormous.
Before his pay raise, maintaining both teams was financially demanding—but Su Hang handled it with ease.
He was truly wealthy, completely free of financial pressure. Money couldn't sway him.
Raiola wisely backed off.
Of course, that didn't mean he had no chance in the future.
Right now, Su Hang was at the peak of his influence—everyone wanted a piece of him.
Clubs were bidding against each other—it was a seller's market.
His agent team's job was smooth sailing for now.
But if his form dipped and doubts started to grow, that's when a heavyweight like Raiola could prove invaluable—using his network to stir up interest and raise prices.
Top-level partnerships and marketing deals were also Raiola's specialty—connections ordinary agencies simply didn't have.
...
Then came another twist.
Calderón wasn't backing down. While rejecting Bayern's offer, he struck back at Manchester United—submitting a €12 million bid for their star striker, Van Nistelrooy!
This move sent United into a panic.
Van Nistelrooy genuinely wanted out. His feud with Cristiano Ronaldo had grown worse, and Ferguson clearly favored Ronaldo, diminishing Van Nistelrooy's influence—a situation that had frustrated him for a long time.
Now, with Real Madrid extending an olive branch, how could he possibly refuse?
Through his agent, Van Nistelrooy quietly expressed his willingness to join Real Madrid.
Once Ferguson learned of it, and with Queiroz urging him on, he stopped pretending.
Manchester Evening News: "Shock move! United propose Van Nistelrooy plus €22 million for Su Hang!"
Sky Sports: "Striker swap imminent! United ready to trade Super RRR for a new Manchester 'Rolls-Royce' trio—HRR?"
All in!
Manchester United go all in!