Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Shanghai: Brazil international Oscar is to leave Chelsea and join Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG in a reported €60million deal that has smashed the Asian transfer record.
The high-profile move which will be completed in January when the transfer window opens, eclipses the €55.8million Shanghai SIPG paid for Oscar’s compatriot Hulk last July and is further testimony to the growing financial power in Chinese football.
Oscar, 25, joins Shanghai after a glittering European career, which saw the attacking midfielder score 33 goals in nearly 170 appearances for both Inter Milan and Chelsea.
While at Chelsea, the Americana-born star, who has appeared 48 times for his country, won the English Premier League and League Cup double in 2015, as well as the 2013 UEFA Europa League title.
He was also a part of the Brazil team which landed the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup crown.
With Oscar in their ranks, Shanghai SIPG - currently under the guidance of former Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas - will now no doubt be looking to improve on last season’s domestic performance when they finished third in China’s top-flight.
In the 2016 AFC Champions League they reached the quarter-finals before being knocked out by eventual winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
The 2017 edition of Asia’s premier club competition will see Shanghai SIPG attempt to enter the Group Stage through the Play-offs where they will meet either Thailand’s Sukhothai FC or Yadanarbon FC from Myanmar on February 7.