Cao Baiming held the newly acquired contract in his hand, bearing the signatures of Neymar, Suarez, and Messi.
It was placed in a semi-transparent plastic bag, with the signed side deliberately facing upwards, bringing him a sense of immense satisfaction with every glance.
Unbeknownst to him, another significant step had been taken, and the team was now not far from taking shape.
Ten Hag found himself in a passive working role. Although he was the nominal head coach of the team at this moment, Cao Baiming had little interest in him, and consequently, he didn't have much to do.
Cao Baiming himself was responsible for almost all the ideas regarding the team's construction. While Ten Hag was still involved in some matters for the team, his responsibilities had been reduced to being a pure laborer, handling only miscellaneous tasks.
Even within these simple tasks, he was striving to prove himself, hoping to earn the right to remain at Manchester United. He desperately wished Cao Baiming would gradually recognize his value during this period.
However, he was unaware that Cao Baiming's lack of inclination towards him was not solely due to a lack of understanding.
Another reason was his desire to revamp the entire Manchester United, which meant that almost everything old had to be swept away to achieve his goal.
Whether good or bad, anything old had no value in remaining. In this regard, Ten Hag's efforts were futile; no matter how hard he tried, even if he became more valuable, he would still be considered old, not new.
In reality, although Cao Baiming was on vacation, he was busier than usual.
A month had passed since the holiday began, yet upon reflection, the time spent resting accounted for less than a tenth of that period.
Although he was busy, these efforts yielded rewards, and these rewards were substantial. Now, looking at Manchester United, which he had purchased, a basic structure was already emerging.
Gazing at its current incomplete state, Cao Baiming could envision its future. It was like a newly hatched eaglet, its feathers not yet fully grown, but one day it would spread its wings and soar through the sky, envied by all other birds.
With the completion of this transaction, Cao Baiming decided to take a well-deserved break.
Although this period was meant for rest, his phone was constantly buzzing with various messages, making it impossible to truly relax. He was now an owner, not a player or a laborer.
Upon learning that Messi might join Manchester United, Guardiola was indeed tempted.
He sent a string of three emails directly to Cao Baiming, mentioning Messi no less than twenty times in total.
They also had private communications, and Cao Baiming was confident in his plans for Messi. After all, he had gone to great lengths to bring in two of the trident from the "Dream Team III" era, Suarez and Neymar. Surely, Messi could not fail to see this sincerity?
Manchester City had secretly become aware of Guardiola's inner desires. Although they were deeply reluctant, they had no other options.
They only had a contract in hand, and the contract's expiration date was merely six months away.
They knew well that they could at best retain Guardiola for another six months. Once the six-month contract expired, Guardiola could leave at any time, and as a club, they could not force him to stay. The terms offered by Cao Baiming would undoubtedly make the old man forget his roots entirely.
To demonstrate his sincerity to Manchester City as well, Cao Baiming offered a price of 200 million euros. With this money in hand, it didn't matter whether it was for Guardiola or some "golden pumpkin," or even if he had to sign over his wife and children; it would be acceptable.
This deal was considered worthwhile for them.
During this period, Cao Baiming had successively obtained the consent of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar. Their final agreement was made after the clubs' confirmation, meaning they would complete their official transfer signings within the next month.
Witnessing this, Guardiola envisioned the future of Manchester United and was so excited that he wished he could leave Manchester City immediately and join Manchester United.
After all, the location hadn't changed much; it was still in Manchester. It was just a change of jersey color, from the original sky blue to vibrant red. Constantly looking at the same team color could lead to visual fatigue.
Another half a month passed. During this time, not only were these achievements realized, but in terms of other players, Verratti was also led away from Paris Saint-Germain by Neymar.
The club was furious. While they wanted to get rid of Neymar, they absolutely did not want to let go of Verratti. He was the only useful player in their defense; the others were more like retirees collecting a paycheck.
This put the club in a crisis, but Cao Baiming couldn't be bothered with such matters, as he had no intention of managing other teams. After all, it had no direct benefit for him.
In addition, the team recruited several promising young players, including Gavi, Gvardiol, Vinícius, and Mastour.
On Cao Baiming's desk lay a blank piece of paper, on which was sketched the team's perfect future 4-3-3 formation. Six positions in this lineup had already been confirmed.
The substitute list was also mostly filled. Looking at this accomplishment, Cao Baiming felt very satisfied.
Over ten billion had been spent unconsciously, but it would all come back sooner or later. By then, it wouldn't just be ten billion.
It would appreciate in value, and the returns would far exceed the initial investment!