THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

"First of all," Mr. Stefano intoned, "Let's start with the salary. Juventus is willing to offer you a weekly wage of 159,000 Euros if you agree to sign a four-year contract with us. That means that you will potentially earn 636,000 Euros per month and roughly 7.63 million Euros per year if you join Juventus. You'll also become the highest-paid player on our roster next season."

"On top of the salary, Juventus will also pay you a sum of 69,000 Euros for every appearance you make for the club in an official competitive match. And if it so happens that you hit 40 goals and 30 assists in all competitions in a season, the club will award you an additional 2 million Euros. In brief, if you could meet all clauses, you could earn a lucrative wage of 13.5 million Euros per year. But that's not all we're offering."

"To ensure you feel at home at the club, we'll also settle your agent's fees that we've costed at 10% of your annual salary. And to show our sincerity, we've also pushed ourselves and decided to reward you with a signing bonus of 28 million Euros."

"If you sign with us, Juventus will pay you the signing bonus money in three batches. The first portion will be 15 million, and you'll receive it within two weeks after signing the contract to join Juventus. The second batch will be 10 million, and you'll receive it in your second year under contract. And finally, the third batch will be 3 million, and you'll receive it during your third year under contract. That is our sincerity."

Zachary's heart was already racing by then. He had already realized that all the terms offered by Juventus topped those of Tottenham. Be it the weekly wage, the signing bonus, and the playing bonuses -- they were all much higher than those proposed by Tottenham in the meeting earlier. As a result, his heart was starting to waver and tilt toward the side of Juventus.

He wasn't a monk or a saint. With all the money Juventus had put on the table, he couldn't just continue treating Tottenham as his priority destination. But even then, he tried to maintain a poker face as he didn't wish to put Emily in a vulnerable position during the forthcoming negotiations.

"Thank you, Stefano, for the presentation," Emily said, smiling. "I've just skimmed through the contract, and it's tempting. But there are two clauses that we find not to our liking. We would like you to amend them before we progress into further talks."

Zachary's eyes were almost widening on hearing that. He only managed to control himself to maintain his poker face after exerting all his willpower. But on the inside, he was still thinking, "Which clauses did Emily find not to our liking? Why is it that I didn't find them when I skimmed through the contract document?" He was slightly puzzled.

"Miss Emily," Mr. Stefano said, his signature sunny smile outlining his face. "Go ahead and tell us which clauses you find not to your liking."

"First and foremost," Emily answered, "We won't sign a contract containing a buy-out clause of 80 million Euros. The most we can consider is 73 million Euros. That's probably the fee you'll pay Rosenborg to acquire my client. Secondly, we would like you to raise the signing bonus. My client has to settle down in a new country and a new city after joining your club. He'll need to buy a house and organize a few things. The 28 million Euros won't be enough. My recommendation would be 35 million Euros."

A brief silence descended on the table as the facial expressions of all the gentlemen on the other side turned strange. They were probably wondering how the woman before them could spout nonsense with a straight face.

"Miss Emily," the ever-smiling Stefano said, breaking the silence. "You're really putting us in a difficult position. We presented our best offers because we didn't want to waste your time negotiating. But now you're asking for more. And a hell lot more."

"I'm just looking out for my client," Emily said, a professional smile outlining her face. "I wish for him to settle down quickly in Turin. That way, he will be able to focus and play better football. Isn't that what you people hope to see? Don't you wish to see him comfortable in Turin, scoring goals week in, week out?"

"We do," Mr. Stefano said.

"Then, we're in agreement," Emily said. "So, please do the needful."

Mr. Stefano leaned forward and planted his elbows on the table. "We can agree to amend the buy-out clause and lower it to 75 million Euros. However, raising the signing bonus is difficult. Our financial position can't allow us to offer Zachary more than 28 million."

"Then, too bad," Emily said, her tone snappy. "If you can't raise the signing bonus to an appropriate amount, further negotiations are off the table. I'm sure Mourinho and his Chelsea is willing to fork out an even higher signing bonus."

"This..." The smile on Mr. Stefano's face disappeared for the first time that afternoon. He looked at Fabio Paratici, the Juventus sporting director, for help.

Fabio Paratici cleared his voice and locked gazes with Emily. "I know that you're looking out for your client. But you're also putting us in a difficult position. If we pay more money to Zachary, we'll not manage to meet the fair play rules. That's our difficulty. But to show our sincerity, we can still push ourselves and do all we can to take a step back. Let's meet in the middle and agree on a buy-out clause fee of 75 million and a signing bonus of 31 million. That is the highest we can offer."

"32 million," Emily said. "32 million as the signing bonus and 75 million as the buy-out clause fee. Then, we can reach an initial agreement here and now before we leave. We would only need to iron out some minor details in the contract before concluding negotiations quickly. It's your call."

Fabio leaned back into his seat and shook his head with helplessness. "Okay, 32 million it is," he said, seeming defeated. "But we have to put our initial agreement into writing right away. Additionally, Zachary has to communicate to the public through social media that he has reached a preliminary agreement with us. He has to tell relevant parties that he's about to become our player."

Emily tilted her head to face Zachary, her gaze questioning. "Honestly, what do you think?" She asked, softening her voice. "Is this a good deal? Do you agree to play for Juventus next season? Don't mind the gentlemen across the table and speak your mind. I'll support you even if you want to say no to this deal."

Zachary's thoughts were already crystal clear at that moment. He exhaled lightly and faced the gentlemen across the table. "I have seen your sincerity," he said, smiling. "So, I'm very willing to join your club next season. But that's, of course, after ironing out the minor details in the contract that Emily mentioned."

"Yeah!" Mr. Stefano Morganti was the first to jump up and celebrate. "Very nice choice, Zachary. Welcome to Juventus." He extended his hand from across the table.

Zachary stood up and took his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Stefano."

After that, Zachary and Emily shook hands with Fabio Paratici, the Juventus sporting director, and Federico Delfini, the attorney, to seal the deal. They then ordered lunch and drinks to celebrate the beginning of their business relationship.