Chapter 363: Chapter 82: Smashing the Bayern Myth! A New Renewal Plan! A 50-Year-Old Record! Wang Shuo, I’m Waiting for You

The two Dortmund executives made it very clear that the club had no intention or plan to sell Wang Shuo.

"Our team is in an excellent position right now, and next season, we’re very likely to return to the Champions League."

"This will be a crucial opportunity for us at Dortmund!"

Watzke further clarified that Dortmund’s Chairman Laubal had personally gotten involved in Wang Shuo’s contract renewal.

"We will do whatever it takes to keep him at Dortmund!"

"No team will take him from Westfalen Stadium!"

The day after the match at Allianz Arena, several German media outlets, including Ruhr News, saw Wang Shuo’s agent, Thomas Essien, at Westfalen Stadium. Dortmund fans, who had made a special trip to watch the team practice, also witnessed his arrival.

...

When Thomas Essien arrived at the Dortmund offices again, the receptionist recognized him from a distance.

She definitely remembered Wang Shuo’s agent.

More importantly, her superiors had notified her well in advance.

"Hello, Mr. Essien. Mr. Watzke and the others have been waiting for you in the conference room."

Thomas Essien smiled and nodded, though he didn’t take her words at face value.

He had arrived earlier than the appointed time.

’How could they have been waiting long?’

As he approached the conference room, he saw Watzke, Zorc, and the others walking over from their offices.

They were familiar with each other, so some pleasantries were exchanged.

To Thomas Essien’s surprise, Dortmund’s chairman, Laubal, was also there.

This was a man whose influence in the German football scene was so immense that a single word from him could cause tremors.

This alone showed just how seriously Dortmund was taking this contract renewal.

Both parties entered the conference room and began a new round of renewal negotiations.

They had spoken several times before but had never been able to reach an agreement.

The main sticking point was salary.

Thomas Essien wanted Wang Shuo’s salary to be based on an assessment of his contributions to the team.

Dortmund couldn’t accept those terms.

Because Wang Shuo’s contribution to Dortmund was just too immense.

He had already scored 30 goals this season!

That’s right, 30 goals!

His 30th goal was scored during the match against Bayern Munich.

After only 22 matches, he had already broken last season’s record of 29 goals!

Many people might not understand what scoring 30 goals in a single Bundesliga season truly means.

To put it simply, the last forward to score 30 goals in the Bundesliga was Dieter Müller, who scored 34 goals for Cologne in the ’76-’77 season.

Before him, you’d have to go back to the ’73-’74 season, when both Heynckes and Gerd Müller scored 30 goals.

That was over thirty years ago!

Over the past three decades, the Bundesliga has seen many great forwards.

For example, Rummenigge, Klinsmann, Kirsten, Elber, Elton, Klose, Luca Tony, and many others.

But not one of them managed to reach the 30-goal mark.

Now, Wang Shuo had done it!

Now, Wang Shuo was just one step away from Dortmund’s all-time record for the most Bundesliga goals in a single season.

That record was 31 goals, set by Lothar Emmerich in the ’65-’66 season!

’He can’t score two more goals in twelve matches?’

’Who would believe that?’

Almost everyone was certain that Wang Shuo would break Emmerich’s historic record, which had stood untouched for over fifty years!

This was precisely why Laubal was treating Wang Shuo’s contract renewal with such gravity.

Right now, Dortmund couldn’t afford to lose Wang Shuo!

The meeting began with both sides making amicable opening statements.

Dortmund demonstrated their sincere desire to renew, stating that the club would do everything in its power to offer the player the most generous terms possible.

Thomas Essien also stated that while several major clubs were indeed interested in Wang Shuo, the player had no intention of leaving Dortmund. "He hopes to continue growing and improving with the team, helping it achieve even greater glory!"

These kinds of statements were more about establishing mutual trust and a shared understanding.

Namely, that both the player and the club had a strong desire to renew the contract.

The rest of the negotiation would be built on that foundation.

Dortmund’s previous offer had been to double his current salary, bringing it to an annual wage of 4 million euros.

This would shatter Dortmund’s current wage structure.

An annual salary of 4 million euros was considered high in the Bundesliga as well.

But Thomas Essien argued that a 4-million-euro salary was not commensurate with Wang Shuo’s contributions. He deserved more.

In fact, Thomas Essien had specifically discussed this with Wang Shuo a week prior.

Dortmund was now facing an awkward predicament: they couldn’t offer a higher salary!

One crucial point was that the Bundesliga’s financial regulations were extremely strict.

The 50+1 rule dictated that a club’s finances had to be sound.

And they couldn’t mortgage their future!

Therefore, the compensation Dortmund could offer was actually far lower than what other teams, including Bayern, could provide.

Thomas Essien was well aware of this.

Over the course of their negotiations, he had already identified Dortmund’s limitations.

"I’ve been in constant communication with our legal team, and we’ve developed an entirely new proposal."

With that, Thomas Essien presented his solution.

"We’re requesting that a release clause be included in the contract."

"A release clause?" Watzke was taken aback.

Coming from a finance background, he immediately grasped the sensitive implications of the proposal.