Saturday, July 15, 2023

Sky Sports News Studio, London

8:00 PM BST

The breaking news banner flashed red across the bottom of the screen while Kaveh Solhekol sat at the Sky Sports News desk with his hands folded on the surface in front of him, and the text behind his left shoulder read "BREAKING: MANCHESTER UNITED COMPLETE SIGNING OF DEMIEN WALTER" in white letters against the red background.

Kaveh addressed the camera directly and his voice carried the measured urgency that breaking transfer news required. "We’re hearing that Manchester United have completed the signing of nineteen-year-old midfielder Demien Walter from Atalanta in a deal worth sixty-two million euros. The English-Italian international has agreed a five-year contract and is set to undergo his medical at Carrington on Monday morning before being officially unveiled."

The broadcast cut to a reporter standing outside Old Trafford where the stadium’s red brick facade was visible behind him and security lights illuminated the entrance, and the reporter spoke while adjusting his earpiece against the evening wind.

"This has been one of the most closely-watched transfer sagas of the summer," the reporter said, and his breath was visible in the cool Manchester evening. "Walter had offers from Liverpool and Chelsea as well, but Manchester United have won the race for one of Europe’s most exciting young talents. The midfielder, who can play as a box-to-box eight or a deep-lying playmaker, impressed heavily during England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers last month, scoring twice against North Macedonia on his second cap at this very stadium."

The broadcast cut back to Kaveh in the studio and graphics appeared on screen showing Walter’s statistics from the 2022-23 Serie A season with Atalanta displayed in clean white text against dark blue background.

DEMIEN WALTER — 2022/23 SEASON

Appearances: 30

Goals: 23

Assists: 28

Pass Completion: 87%

Position: Central Midfielder

Kaveh continued while the graphics remained visible. "What makes this signing particularly interesting is the competition United faced. Liverpool were very keen, offering a patient development pathway under Jurgen Klopp. Chelsea, under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, also made a strong pitch emphasizing their young squad rebuild. But Erik ten Hag’s vision and the promise of immediate playing time at Old Trafford ultimately convinced Walter to choose United."

The camera angle shifted slightly and a second figure appeared on screen sitting beside Kaveh at the desk, and the caption identified him as Paul Scholes with his playing statistics displayed briefly beneath his name.

Scholes leaned forward slightly before speaking and his Manchester accent was unmistakable. "He’s a proper midfielder, can do everything. Scores goals, creates chances, works defensively. Reminds me a bit of Frank Lampard in terms of arriving late in the box. United’s midfield needed freshening up and this is exactly the type of signing they should be making. Young, hungry, technically excellent."

Kaveh nodded while Scholes spoke and then addressed the camera again when the analysis concluded. "The fee structure is sixty-two million euros, which could rise to seventy million with performance-related add-ons. Walter will wear the number fourteen shirt and is expected to slot straight into United’s midfield alongside Mason Mount, who joined from Chelsea earlier this summer. Ten Hag sees him as a crucial part of United’s rebuild, a player who can contribute immediately while still developing over the next few years."

The graphics changed to show a timeline of the transfer saga with key dates highlighted, and Kaveh walked through the chronology while the information appeared on screen.

"Medical scheduled for Monday at Carrington, with the official announcement expected Monday afternoon," Kaveh said. "We’ll have full coverage throughout the weekend as more details emerge. But for now, Manchester United have made a major statement in the transfer market by securing Demien Walter ahead of their Premier League rivals."

The broadcast transitioned to other transfer news and the banner changed to a different story, but the Walter announcement had been delivered and the information was now public knowledge spreading across social media and news outlets.

EARLIER THAT DAY

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Demien’s Apartment, Bergamo

9:00 AM

Seven days had passed since the Chelsea meeting and Atalanta had won both pre-season friendlies without Demien featuring because Gasperini was managing his minutes carefully while transfer speculation dominated Italian sports media, and the first match against local Serie C opposition had ended 4-0 while the second friendly against a Serie B side was scheduled for this afternoon at three PM.

Demien sat on the balcony with coffee that had gone cold in his hands while Bergamo spread below in the early morning quiet, and the decision deadline had arrived after two weeks of analysis that hadn’t made the choice any clearer because all three offers were genuinely good.

The doorbell rang at nine o’clock exactly and he walked inside to answer it, and Marco stood in the hallway with three folders under his arm and his expression neutral.

"Morning," Marco said while stepping inside and moving toward the kitchen table where the folders were placed in a neat row.

Demien closed the door and followed Marco to the table where both of them sat, and Marco didn’t open any folder or pull out documents, just sat with his hands flat on the surface while his eyes stayed on Demien.

"So?" Marco asked.

Demien took a breath that settled in his chest. "Manchester United."

Marco’s head nodded once. "You’re certain?"

"Yes," Demien said. "It’s the biggest opportunity and Ten Hag promised minutes if I perform. United needs me now and that’s what I want."

Marco pulled his phone from his jacket pocket. "I’ll call John Murtough and confirm. They’ll want you in Manchester this afternoon to finalize paperwork before Monday’s medical. Can you be ready in two hours?"

"Yes."

Marco stepped onto the balcony with his phone and the conversation through the glass was brief and professional, and when he returned three minutes later his expression showed the call had gone as expected.

"Done," Marco said. "United are sending a private jet to Milan at one PM. You’ll fly to Manchester, sign the contracts at Carrington tonight, medical Monday morning, announcement Monday afternoon. Fast timeline because they want it wrapped before pre-season tour starts Wednesday."

"What about Liverpool and Chelsea?"

"I’ll inform them this morning," Marco said. "They’ll be disappointed but they knew this was possibility."

Marco left to handle the notifications while Demien packed essentials in his travel bag, and when the packing was finished he sent a text to Sophia.