Chapter Three: Not for Sale to Northport

“One friendly,” he called upward. “Of course.” Lin closed his laptop. “Is the three-million offer still open?” Duran walked away. Northport withdrew thirty minutes later. Within two hours, another Crown League club offered seven million for Kovac. Salin did not respond. Instead, he emailed Lin. MONDAY. 9 A.M. RECRUITMENT MEETING. DO NOT BE LATE. The system issued another notification. 【AUTHORITY UPGRADED: Recommendation】 【Final candidate for THE SILENT PIVOT discovered: Gabriel Serra】 【Age: 34. Injury risk: high. Current bids: none.】 Five years earlier, Serra had been one of Europe's most expensive midfielders. Now bad knees and high wages had made him an “expired asset.” Seabridge had no money left for another mistake.