LOIC REMY LOOKS set to be the latest footballer to be seduced by the riches and ambitious plans of the Chinese Super League.
Reports have circulated in France that the Chelsea striker, who joined from QPR for £8.5m in August 2014, was set for a switch to Shanghai Shenhua though they’re not believed to be the only Chinese team interested.
The fee mentioned is £20m with Remy rumoured to have been offered £7m in salary.
The 29-year-old French international has struggled for regular football since moving to Stamford Bridge with the vast majority of his 42 appearances coming as a substitute.
China has begun to flex its muscles in recent weeks as the country’s state-backed plan to develop a ‘sports economy’ has resulted in high-profile and in-demand footballers being signed.
Former Chelsea midfielder Ramires has joined Jiangsu Suning, as has Alex Teixeira who was widely linked with a move to Liverpool. The outlay on both players came to just under £60m.
Other notable players have joined the league too, including Jackson Martinez while others, like Demba Ba, Tim Cahill and Gervinho are already there.
Shanghai dabbled a little with big-name stars before. In 2012, they signed Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka though both didn’t stay for very long.
