SHANGHAI SIPG HAVE completed the signing of Hulk from Zenit for an Asian football record transfer fee of €55.8million.
The Brazilian attacker was greeted by more than 1,000 fans after touching down at Shanghai’s international airport yesterday and signed with the Chinese Super League (CSL) outfit after passing a medical today.
Further details of the deal will be revealed when Hulk is presented to the media tomorrow, with reports suggesting he will become the best paid player in China.
It is believed that Hulk will command a salary of about €385,000 per week, which works out at €20m per year.
A statement from the Russian club read: “Zenit thank Hulk and his family for the time spent in St Petersburg and his invaluable contribution to our common history. Good luck and we wish you many new victories! Obrigado!”
Hulk joined Zenit from Porto for €40m in 2012 and went on to score 74 goals in 148 appearances for the Russian outfit, winning the league title in 2015.
SIPG are managed by former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and finished second in the CSL last season.
The 29-year-old’s arrival is likely to see one of the Chinese club’s other stars being moved on, with a restriction of five foreign players placed on top-flight teams.
Hulk is the latest in a long line of big names to make the move to China, with Ramires, Alex Teixeira, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Jackson Martinez and Gervinho already arriving in the country on lucrative deals.
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