Four English Premier League stars targeted by the Chinese Super League

Posted Saturday, January 07, 2017 by givemesport.com

The Chinese Super League has taken the money in modern football to a whole new level.

The past year has seen the competition rise immeasurably in wealth and popularity. From Hulk to Carlos Tevez to Oscar, Chinese clubs are swallowing up talented players left, right and centre with their economic allures.

Moreover, the dizzying transfer fees and eye-watering wages could be used to tempt Premier League talent to the Far East. In fact, it appears sides are lining up bids for some of the country's finest English talent.

BIG MONEY TRANSFERS

If Chinese football is lacking anything, it certainly isn't money. After all, this is the establishment that gave a 32-year-old Carlos Tevez larger wages than those of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

That's not to mention, as regards the former, the small matter of a bid in excess of £250 million. The money involved is simply incomprehensible and arguably, just silly.

The brakes on this immovable spending spree don't look like being applied anytime soon either.

This is exemplified by the fact, according to the Daily Mail; four English players could have China knocking on their doors. It seems they're so confident in their wallets, that no target is unrealistic.

The four men in question prove: Dele Alli, Daniel Sturridge, Harry Kane and Ross Barkley.

Moreover, one of the four is believed to be lined up for a blockbuster bid. The star will be offered a wage of £800,000-a-week that would see them become the world's highest paid footballer by a country mile.

Representatives from the CSL have made contact with intermediaries and look set to launch their plan over the summer. It's fair to say the plan is well backed from an economic standpoint.

REALISTIC?

Would Alli really swap Tottenham for Tianjin or Liverpool to Lu'an for Sturridge though? It certainly seems unlikely, but the money on the line is nothing short of life changing.

That being said, Premier League wages in themselves would give a footballer everything they ever wanted. By the time they're becoming millionaires in the space of a fortnight, the situation becomes ridiculous.

Moreover, very few English players ply their trade abroad in general. Consequently, it's difficult to imagine four stars suddenly jetting thousands of miles east to continue their promising careers.

While the allure of China may be substantial in the latter years of a career, it can be seen as a fast track to stagnation when still in your prime. After all, a strong performance against Manchester United carries far more weight than against SIPG Shanghai.

It's hard to see Alli catching the eye of Gareth Southgate with a Man of the Match showing away to Changchun Yatai, for example.

Then again, you can't exactly fault the clubs for trying and the players wouldn't be the first if they did accept any bids. At the moment however, £800,000-a-week or not, they're certainly punching above their weight.