Diego Costa might have to stay at Chelsea after all.
Transfers to China have become more prevalent in the last year, with Oscar’s move from Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG for £60m proving just how bonkers the market was getting in Asia.
Carlos Tevez left Boca Juniors for Shanghai Shenhua to become the highest paid player in the world and former Southampton striker Graziano Pellé is earning a not-so-shabby £260,000 a week at Shandong Luneng.
The money is crazy and it is hard to begrudge a player that decides to take a pay packet that is, approximately, three or four times what they would be earning elsewhere.
However, those transfers could be no more after the Chinese FA announced that they are cracking down on big spending.
In an article in the South Morning China Post, the organisation revealed that teams will effectively be made to pay double the agreed transfer fee due to a fine enforced by the Chinese FA.
Under the new rule, clubs that have a trade deficit will be fined the fee they paid for an overseas player.
This will then be put into a player development fund with the aim that the country can successfully grow grassroots football in the country.
The statement reads:
“In order to limit professional clubs from pursuing short-term results, blindly trying to match [each other’s] high-priced signings, and behaviour driving up prices, to maintain market order, and promote the healthy and stable development of professional football, [we have] decided: from the 2017 summer transfer window, loss-making clubs will be charged an adjustment fee for foreign signings.
“Clubs signing players through capital expenditure will be charged the same amount, with the full sum going to the Chinese Football Development Foundation, to train young players, promote social football and soccer charity activities.”
The potential suitor for Chelsea’s Diego Costa is a team by the name of Tianjin Quanjian, and it is likely that they were forewarned about the rule change after they released a statement on Tuesday.
“[We] will not engage in any sort of unhealthy competition and will put a stop to any excessive pricing.”
The Chinese FA have made moves to counteract the high spending in the league with a rule introduced in January that limits the number of foreign players that a team has.
Next season, teams must also have at least one Chinese under-23 player for every foreign player starting.
