Famous footballers in China
Despite not bveing a traditional football country, China is increasingly becoming a factor on the international transfer market. Here's a look at some of the players who have followed the lure of the yuan.
Graziano Pelle
The Italian was one of the breakthrough players of the 2016 European Championship, scoring a pair of goals. Chelsea, Besiktas and West Ham United were reportedly after the 32-year-old, but he chose to join Shandong Luneng. His annual salary is around 16 million euros.
Papiss Demba Cissé
Pelle's new teammate at Shandong Luneng Taishan is 31-year-old Senegalese striker Papiss Demba Cissé. The striker certainly brings a wealth of experience with him, having played in France (Metz), England (Newcastle United) and Deutschland (Freiburg).
Anthony Ujah
One player making the move from the Bundesliga to China is Anthony Ujah, who's opted out of Werder Bremen for Liaoning. Rivals Guangzhou Evergrande tried to sign the Nigerian last winter, but he stayed to help Bremen beat relegation. He'll hook up in China with another ex-Werder player, Assani Lukimya.
Hulk
Shanghai SIPG holds the record for the largest amount of money paid by a Chinese club for a single player: 56 million euros for Hulk. The Brazilian forward is well traveled, having plied his trade in Japan, Portugal and Russia. He'll be coached by former England national manager Sven-Göran Eriksson.
Renato Augusto
Renato Augusto (r) is another face familiar from the Bundesliga, being an alumnus of Bayer Leverkusen. Schalke also vied for his services, but his demands for an annual salary of nine million euros were too much. Beijing Guoan, though, had no problem ponying up the cash.
Alex Teixeira
Other European clubs are profiting from Chinese millions. In 2009 Shakhtar Donetsk bought Alex Teixeira for nine million euros. Jiangsu Suning is paying the Ukrainians 50 million for the right to sign him. Not a bad return on the initial investment.
Jackson Martínez
In return for 42 millions euros, Atletico Madrid let Jackson Martínez leave for Guangzhou Evergrande. After moving from Porto, the Colombian striker never established himself in the Spanish capital and left last February after only six months. Still, Atletico turned a seven million euro profit.
Ramires
Chinese clubs have a real affinity for Brazilians - even those who feel to prove their mettle with big European clubs. Ramires rarely made it off the bench for Chelsea. He can expect more playing time and a raise from Jiangsu Suning. Chelsea get 28 million euros.
Paulinho
Another Brazlian in the Far East is Paulinho. The mdifielder made his breakthough for Corinthians in São Paulo, attracting the attention of European clubs. But he only lasted two seasons with Tottenham Hotspur. Now he's headed for Guangzhou Evergrande, where he'll be reunited with his former national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.