The Chinese Super League may be facing an exodus of foreign stars following the introduction of a new salary cap of £2m-a-year – approximately £42k-per-week.
A host of footballing talents such as Marouane Fellaini, Oscar and Marko Arnautovic were offered the chance to become very high earner in the Chinese Super League.
While the new salary cap does not affect any current contracts, the former stars who moved to Asia will have to take a huge pay cut if they opt to renew their contracts at their respective clubs.
Clubs will also be permitted to acquire a fifth overseas player, an upgrade from the current law which only allows four. However, only four foreign players will be allowed on the pitch at the same time.
In addition, a maximum of 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) has been placed on Chinese players’ salaries.
When talking on the new laws that were agreed upon by the authorities on Christmas Day, Chinese Football Association chairman Chen Xuyuan said: ‘Our clubs had too much money burned and our professional football has not been run in a sustainable way,’ according to state news agency Xinhua.
