• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

Chinese Super League a treat to clubs- Conte

antonio-conte

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes the huge money being spent on players by Chinese clubs is a danger for all teams in the world.

Blues midfielder Oscar, 25, is close to a £60m move to Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG in January and is expected to receive an estimated £400,000 a week.

Conte said it would be difficult to manage a player on such a high salary.

Chinese clubs spent £200m before the start of the 2016 season.

The Chinese transfer record was broken three times in 10 days, as former Chelsea Brazil midfielder Ramires was signed by Jiangsu Suning for £25m, followed by Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao buying Colombia striker Jackson Martinez for £31m from Atletico Madrid.

Jiangsu then paid Shakhtar Donetsk £38.4m for Brazilian midfielder Alex Teixeira.

However, the fee for Teixeira was eclipsed by the £46.1m paid by Shanghai SIPG for Zenit St Petersburg’s Brazil forward Hulk during the mid-season summer window.

The next Chinese transfer window opens on 1 January and closes on 28 February.

Arsenal midfielder Alexis Sanchez has been linked with a reported £500,000-a-week contract at Hebei China Fortune, managed by former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini.

“The Chinese market is a danger for all teams in the world, not only for Chelsea,” said Conte.

But speaking about the Premier League, he added: “This league is fantastic, a great opportunity [for players], a great honour and we should be very proud we play in this league.”

Conte refused to confirm Oscar’s move, saying: “I don’t know exactly the amount, or the situation. Now we have to wait – when it is the moment you will know.”