China's "growing popularity as the preferred destination for aging former English Premier League players shows no sign of slowing" after the Chinese Super League confirmed striker Frederic Kanoute's move to Beijing Guoan, according to the SUNDAY TIMES. The club gave no details of the contract, but Kanoute's former club, Sevilla, said that he agreed to a two-year deal with Beijing. The transfer "adds to the ever growing list of big foreign signings made by Chinese clubs." Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba recently followed his former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka "in making a lucrative move to big-spending" CSL Shanghai Shenhua. According to media reports, another African striker -- Blackburn Rovers and Nigerian forward Yakubu Aiyegbeni -- is "close to completing a move" to CSL Guangzhou R&F (SUNDAY TIMES, 7/1). WILD EAST FOOTBALL wrote Kanoute is "arguably Guoan's most well-known foreign signing ever" due to his career in Spain and the U.K. Kanoute is "not coming cheap." Guoan signed a year-and-a-half deal with the the striker that will see him earn $2M a year. It was said that Kanoute was considering offers from the U.S. and Middle East (WILDEASTFOOTBALL.com, 7/1).
