Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel has
become the latest big name player to join the Chinese Super League gold
rush after leaving Chelsea for Tianjin Teda, Reuters reported on Friday.
Mikel, who failed to make a single
appearance for Antonio Conte’s side this season, had a medical in the
port city some 130 kilometres from Beijing on Thursday and the Asian
Football Confederation confirmed the deal on Friday.
The 29-year-old, who spent more than a
decade at Stamford Bridge, was given a free transfer by the London club
and will earn £140,000 ($173,432) a week in China, according to local
media reports.
After joining Chelsea in 2006, Mikel was
part of a squad that won a Champions League crown, two Premier League
titles and four FA Cups.
Chinese clubs have made several
high-profile signings over the last month with Argentine striker Carlos
Tevez moving to Shanghai Shenhua for a reported €84 million ($87.65
million).
Less than a week later, Brazilian
midfielder Oscar joined local rivals Shanghai SIPG from Chelsea in a
deal believed to be worth €60 million.
At the end of December, Cristiano
Ronaldo’s agent said the World Player of the Year had turned down the
chance to leave Real Madrid for an unnamed Chinese club for a transfer
fee of €300 million ($315.24 million).
Amid the spending spree, the country’s
General Administration of Sport described the excess of some Chinese
clubs as “a grave phenomenon” on Thursday.
Mikel joins Serbia midfielder Nemanja Gudelj, who moved to Tianjin from Dutch club Ajax on Thursday.
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