Brazil playmaker Oscar became the latest high-profile player to be lured to the cash-rich Chinese Super league when he sealed a move to Shanghai SIPG from Chelsea for a reported 60 million pounds ($73.5 million) on Friday.
The English Premier league leaders said Oscar will complete the transfer at the beginning of January, joining a team managed by former Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas. It is the latest show of financial clout from the Chinese league, which has enticed established internationals like Brazilians Hulk, Ramires and Paulinho, Colombia striker Jackson Martinez and Argentine Ezequiel lavezzi. Carlos Tevez also is reportedly on the verge of moving to China from Boca Juniors.
"The Chinese market is a danger for all," Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said last week, "not only for Chelsea, but all the teams in the world."
Aged 25, Oscar is in the prime of his career despite being out of favor under Conte, making only five starts early in the season. He was a key member of Jose Mourinho's team that won the Premier league in 2015, having joined Chelsea from Brazil’s Internacional in 2012.