Brazilian midfielder Alex Teixeira (R). (Photo : Getty Images)
Brazilian footballer Alex Teixeira signed with Chinese Super League squad Jiangsu Suning FC from Ukrainian club FC Shakhtar Donetsk for a transfer fee of €50 million, recent reports say.
BBC Sport reported that the 26-year-old attacking midfielder completed the move on Saturday and has broken the Chinese transfer record for the third time in just this January transfer window.
Jiangsu first broke the richest China transfer late last month when they acquired Brazilian midfielder Ramires from last season's English Premier League winners Chelsea FC for a fee of €33 million.
However, five-time CSL champions Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC surpassed it just one week later with the signing of Colombian striker Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid for €42 million.
Jiangsu claimed the record once more after the acquisition of Teixeira, which cleared the previous one by €8 million, and it looks like the record will again be topped anytime soon as a lot of rumors about foreign players moving to China are out these days.
Speculations that FC Zenit Saint Petersburg's Hulk, Manchester City's Yaya Touré, Chelsea's John Terry, Diego Costa and Radamel Falcao, and even Manchester United's Wayne Rooney are all set to move to the Far East nation next season.
Premier League giant Liverpool FC had been linked to the Duque de Caxias, Brazil native these past few months, according to The Guardian, and reports have already went out that a final deal between the two parties are close to happening.
However, the Reds are allegedly willing to pay only €30 million for Teixeira, €20 million less than what Jiangsu offered to the Miners, which made the decision an easy one for both club and player.
Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp expressed his full support to the verdict of the Merseyside residents' team officials to let go of Teixeira, saying that the decision to turn down the huge transfer fee demand "was the right one" at this moment.
Klopp also asked the Reds' fans to join him in support of their club's management despite not having the opportunity to sign any significant players during this winter window.
Teixeira has played seven seasons with Shakhtar, appearing in a total of 222 games in all competitions and netting 89 goals during the said time period.
