Adelaide United winger Craig Goodwin competes for the ball against a Melbourne Victory defender. (Photo : Getty Images)
Australian footballer Craig Goodwin has reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from an unnamed Chinese Super League squad as he is said to be keen on "chasing his dream" of playing in any of the European leagues soonest.
SBS reported that the 24-year-old Adelaide United winger "knocked back a recent offer from the Chinese Super League with his eyes firmly set on a playing career in Europe", as he is presently gaining "a good amount of interest" from numerous clubs in the said continent with his current contract set to end on June 1.
"When my agent told me about a possible move to China, I pretty much thought about it for ten seconds and said look it's nice to have that interest but I really want to try and progress to Europe," Goodwin said.
"With the season I've been having so far, I've been doing really well. Obviously I need to continue doing well to turn that interest into an offer but the main reason for why I knocked it back was because I want to chase my dream," he added.
Goodwin's agent, Zeljko Susa, said that the 6-foot-4 midfielder has attracted the interest of clubs from Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands and the feeling is mutual, which is why his client does not want to consider the China option at this point of his career.
"Craig has indicated a preference to play in those three countries (Belgium, Holland and Austria)," the agent said, via the Advertiser. Susa also disclosed that their camp refusing to negotiate with the Reds for a contract extension because of his client's plans.
"We have indicated to Adelaide United that it's best not to talk now (about contract extensions) and they have agreed and been very good about it," said Susa.
The Adelaide, Australia native had been playing well with Reds head coach Guillermo Amor as he had been instrumental in helping United achieve its third place status in the 2015-2016 A-League season standings with a 9-5-6 win-loss-draw record and 33 points under their belt.
United is only two points behind second place squad Brisbane Roar and five points adrift of current league leaders Western Sydney Wanderers.
