"Official Announcement! Borussia Dortmund Ignites the Summer Window, 16-Year-Old Genius Transfers Permanently!"
"Just now! The official Borussia Dortmund website dropped a bombshell: The club has reached an agreement with Arsenal. Jin Hayes will officially transfer to Borussia Dortmund for a transfer fee of €12.5 million, plus €5 million in performance-related add-ons!"
"This 5-year long-term contract marks a new chapter for the loan miracle of last season—the young genius who led the team into the Champions League qualifiers will continue to conquer the Westfalenstadion's South Stand wearing the yellow and black jersey."
"Last season, Jin Hayes delivered 16 assists in the Bundesliga, leading the league and playing a pivotal role in Dortmund's remarkable turnaround."
"He achieved victories against Bundesliga powerhouses such as Wolfsburg, Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, and Bayern Munich!"
"Jin Hayes displayed technical talent that surpassed most on the field; his creativity alone could unlock opposing defenses."
"In the official announcement video, CEO Watzke stated excitedly that with the arrival of head coach Jürgen Klopp for the new season and the official signing of Jin Hayes, Borussia Dortmund will bring fans a surprising season!"
"It is reported that Klopp once revealed to the media that one of the reasons he agreed to coach Borussia Dortmund was because of Jin Hayes…"
"After the official announcement was released, Borussia Dortmund fans gathered at the entrance of the training base to celebrate Jin Hayes staying with the team."
"Season ticket sales for the new season surged by 37%!"
"The North Rhine-Westphalia police have activated an emergency plan for the 50,000-person gathering expected for the signing ceremony on July 1st."
"A spokesperson for the fan association 'Yellow Black Prussia' said: 'Last year he said he would take us back to the Champions League. This year, we're charging towards the Bundesliga trophy!'"
"With Jin Hayes's permanent transfer settled, the youth revolution of the new Bundesliga season has entered the countdown!"
"Borussia Dortmund's official website, Bild, and many other media outlets reported the news of Jin Hayes's official signing. Photos of him shaking hands with Klopp quickly spread throughout Europe."
…
France, on the beach of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Franck Ribéry lay on a sun lounger, wearing sunglasses and closing his eyes to rest. While Spain and Germany were about to compete for the European Championship title, the entire French team had long since returned home for their holidays.
As runners-up in the last World Cup, the French team had been eliminated at the bottom of their group in Euro 2008. Ribéry had sprained his knee in the group stage and had to leave the field, helplessly watching his teammates lose.
He understood that the French team was in a rotten state, and there seemed little hope of good results in the near future. Ribéry could only pin his hopes on club matches. At least at Bayern, he could still win trophies. Last season, Bayern Munich won the double, but Borussia Dortmund had always been an insurmountable hurdle. In the league, Dortmund had beaten them twice, and Ribéry had come off second best twice against that Chinese kid.
He was holding back a breath of frustration when he heard two German tourists chatting about the Bundesliga nearby.
"Did you hear? That Chinese genius has already transferred to Borussia Dortmund."
"Borussia Dortmund are worth looking forward to next season!"
"Bayern have hired Klinsmann—it makes me laugh to death. They're definitely finished."
"Maybe our Hoffenheim have a chance to reach the Champions League places, just like Dortmund last season."
The two German tourists were chatting enthusiastically when they saw a short man with a scar on his face standing in front of them. His fierce appearance made the two tremble.
"You… what are you doing?"
"Can I borrow your newspaper?"
"Take it, take it!"
The two German tourists could never have imagined that not only does Paris have people snatching wallets on the street, but in a small coastal town, there are people robbing newspapers? They took advantage of Ribéry turning around and fled in panic.
"Merci! Thanks… Huh? Where are they?" Ribéry wanted to turn back to thank them, but the figures were already gone. He didn't care. His eyes locked onto the transfer news section, where Jin Hayes's smiling face holding the number 10 jersey was extremely glaring.
Ribéry's hands almost tore the newspaper to shreds, and his eyes were practically spitting fire: "Good! Very good!"
…
On the streets of Werder Bremen, Mesut Özil was jogging in sports shorts with headphones on. Not selected for the Germany squad, he had returned to Werder Bremen early to wait for pre-season training.
Jogging past a newsstand, Özil stopped abruptly.
The front-page photo on the newspaper was a live snapshot from the European Championship semi-final, Germany 3–2 Turkey. Next to the headline was a familiar Asian face.
That guy was holding the Borussia Dortmund number 10 jersey. He really had stayed in the Bundesliga.
"Oh? Number 10… It's going to be interesting next season."
Özil raised his eyebrows and continued running. Only his pace quickened quite a bit—faster and faster.
…
Vienna, Austria, Germany national team training base.
In the locker room, the Germany players who had just finished training were chatting excitedly about the upcoming final. Philipp Lahm sat quietly in the corner wiping off sweat when he saw his club teammate Lukas Podolski come over with a mobile phone. Podolski looked solemn, as if some big news had broken.
"Look. He stayed in the Bundesliga."
Lahm and Miroslav Klose couldn't help but lean over. On the narrow screen of the mobile phone, they saw that Chinese player they found hard to forget.
"Good grief, the number 10 jersey!" Klose secretly clicked his tongue. He couldn't imagine that Borussia Dortmund would trust a 16-year-old kid so much. Giving him the number 10, which symbolised an undisputed starting role in the team.
However, based on his performance last season, Jin Hayes indeed deserved a first-team number. It was he who had ruined the farewell ceremony of veteran coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. It was he who made Borussia Dortmund the only opponent Bayern failed to beat in the league last season.
Lahm was slightly stunned, then chuckled: "This is a good thing. At least there's a chance to defeat him in the new season."
He suddenly remembered Jin Hayes's warning. In the European Championship final three days later, perhaps he should be more wary of Fernando Torres.
…
Borussia Dortmund, Brackel district.
Head coach Jürgen Klopp, CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, and Jin Hayes, who had just signed, stood in an open space next to the training base. The area ahead was under construction, with construction workers making clanging sounds continuously.
"Jin, it's not training time yet. Why aren't you on holiday?"
"I'm getting my driver's licence soon and don't have time to go out and play. Besides, working out in the base gym doesn't cost anything."
"Why do I feel like I'm losing money? I should charge you a membership fee." CEO Watzke joked. He liked this Chinese kid very much, although his agent Mendes was not easy to deal with and had made the club spend a lot of money. At least Jin Hayes leading the team into the Champions League was enough to earn back what they had paid.
During a casual chat with Jin Hayes before, a concept he proposed had given Watzke a flash of inspiration. After discussing with Klopp and the coaching staff, Watzke decided to follow Jin Hayes's suggestion and invest in new training facilities to help players develop their technical skills more efficiently.
The plan was still in the early stages, but the idea was to create a more modern, data-driven training environment. Klopp was particularly excited about the potential to drill quick passing combinations and improve players' decision-making under pressure.
The three watched the construction progress for a while, and soon Watzke left to attend to other matters. Jin Hayes also planned to say goodbye and head to the gym.
Before leaving, Klopp suddenly spoke: "Jin, have you ever considered playing as an attacking midfielder?"
"To be honest, before being loaned to Borussia Dortmund, I was an attacking midfielder." Jin Hayes hadn't gotten many chances at first. When he replaced Jakub Błaszczykowski, former coach Thomas Doll had placed him on the right flank out of necessity. Since then, he had almost become Dortmund's starting right winger, using sharp dribbling to open up the right corridor.
Jin Hayes believed his playing style was more like Kaká's—perhaps he would be even more threatening through the middle. It was a pity that the team's 4-4-2 tactical setup last season left little room for possession play in central areas.
"I see." After Jin Hayes's explanation, Klopp nodded thoughtfully.
In fact, he had carefully studied Dortmund's matches from last season and always felt that the attack was relatively rigid, almost entirely relying on Jin Hayes on the right flank to drive forward. Whenever opponents focused their defensive attention on the flanks, Dortmund's offence was easily stifled. Klopp could see what Jin Hayes meant, which was exactly why he wanted to design a new tactical approach.
In the new system, Jin Hayes was undoubtedly the most important link.
"Your ball-carrying and dribbling ability is unquestionable. Your finishing has room for improvement, but more importantly, as an attacking midfielder, the ability to find key passes and create chances is even more crucial than individual breakthroughs. So in pre-season training, I want to strengthen your passing and vision. It might be a relatively demanding programme—I don't know if you can handle it…"
Before Klopp could finish, Jin Hayes had already responded: "Of course! I like challenging things."
"That's good!" Klopp grinned widely.
"After Petric left the team, the number 10 jersey became vacant. I know you can live up to this number. By the way, do you have any goals for the new season?"
"Championship." Jin Hayes's answer was immediate and firm.
Having already benefited from significant improvements in his technique and physical conditioning, he was no longer satisfied with just a Champions League qualification for the new season. Since he had been given this opportunity, he might as well aim higher.
"I want to win every trophy I can compete for."
Now it was Klopp's turn to be taken aback. The Chinese teenager was even more ambitious than he had imagined. And somehow, Klopp believed he just might pull it off.