When Chelsea midfielder Oscar signed with Shanghai SIPG for a record £60 million, we thought things were getting silly.
Then, Carlos Tevez of Argentina Club Atletico Boca Juniors had to come in and steal his thunder, signing with Shanghai Shenhua for a reported £615,000... per week! Or £61 pounds a minute. Talk about some serious cash money.
(Of course, rules can be broken).
But rules could start coming into affect after these latest exorbitant signings.
Goalkeeper coach of Shanghai SIPG and our own That's columnist Ian Walker has mentioned it before, but rumors continue that the government could start cracking down on "high priced signings and make reasonable restrictions on players incomes".
And a spokesperson for China's General Administration of Sport said this week clubs in the country were "burning money".
The Asian transfer record was broken five times last year by state-backed CSL clubs after President Xi Jinping announced his ambition to make the country a footballing superpower.
We'll see what happens, but for now, big things ahead for this year's local clubs. Stay tuned!
Shanghai SIPG finished third in the CSL last season. Their 2017 season kicks off at the Shanghai Stadium on February 7 with an AFC Champions League qualifying play-off against either Sukhothai of Thailand or Yadanarbon of Myanmar. Shanghai Shenhua finished fourth in the league and will play February 8 at Hongkou Stadium, most likely against Brisbane Roar.
[Image via china.org.cn]
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