Beijing’s own Guo’an soccer team has gotten in on some of the high-spending action during this winter’s transfer window, signing Turkish club Galatasaray forward Burak Yilmaz for a reported fee of EUR 8 million.
London-based English Premier League (EPL) side West Ham United was also interested in Yilmaz, but their offer to Istanbul’s Galatasaray was rejected prior to the end of the EPL transfer window earlier this week. Yilmaz will also earn EUR 8 million per year.
The Chinese Super League (CSL) of which Beijing Guo’an is a part and former champion has become a prime destination for players, especially in the latter part of their career. Earlier this week, Jiangsu Suning paid a record transfer fee of EUR 50 million for Alex Teixeira of Ukranian team Shaktar Donetsk, beating out Liverpool FC to sign him. Other top players, including former Chelsea star Didier Drogba and former Arsenal and Real Madrid player Nicolas Anelka signed contracts with Chinese teams, but these arrangements usually ended after one season or less.
The CSL has yet to replicate the success of the Chinese Basketball Association with foreign players like Stephon Marbury. The CSL limits each team to five foreign players, only four of whom may be on the field at any one time.
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