The chances of Marouane Fellaini moving to the Chinese Super League may have taken a hit.
The Chinese Football Association has announced measures aimed at curbing clubs spending massive transfer fees.
In the current transfer window alone, Chinese clubs have spent over €250m on players. Shanghai SIPG paid €60m for Oscar from Chelsea, while Carlos Tevez joined Shanghai Shenhua on wages worth €730,000 a week.
That’s €40m a year. After tax.
Stupid money https://t.co/VjxsakWo4k
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) December 19, 2016
However, China’s football power brokers are worried about the “irrational” spending on transfers and wages by clubs, according to the Associated Press.
They are said to be concerned that clubs are becoming overly-reliant on expensive foreign players at the expense of homegrown talent.
The Chinese government are encouraging investment in football, and want the country to win the World Cup by 2050. To do so, the country’s football association need to develop their own players and they hope their new rules will help.
Under the rules, a club will only be able to field three foreign players in its starting line-up, (the previous rule allowed for four non-Chinese players per team).
Teams also must include at least two Chinese players aged 23 or under, and one in the starting line-up.
.@dionfanning look at the footballing behemoth growing in the East https://t.co/SxCC65YbfG
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) December 21, 2016
The rule could affect Shanghai Shenua, who currently have four foreign players in their squad – Tevez, Obafemi Martins, Fredy Guarin and Demba Ba.
Diego Costa is the latest big-name player to be linked with a move to the Asian league.
The Chelsea striker reportedly has an offer worth £30m a year from Tianjin Quanjian, the club that recently signed Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel.
