Carlos Tevez on Thursday "completed his transfer to the Chinese Super League" in a move that will make the Argentine forward the "best paid player in the world," according to Nicholas Godden of the LONDON TIMES. The former ManU and Man City striker will earn "in the region" of £600,000 ($733,000) a week after leaving Argentine first division side Boca Juniors to join Shanghai Shenhua. Tevez, who has agreed to a two-year deal, "is the latest high-profile capture by a Chinese club" after Shanghai SIPG last week signed Brazilian midfielder Oscar from Chelsea for around £60M ($73.4M). Tevez will reportedly earn "20 times more than the modest salary he had been on at Boca, his boyhood club." He will join up with his new teammates, who are currently on the Japanese Island of Okinawa for preseason training, after undergoing a medical and will begin preparation for the new season which starts in February (LONDON TIMES, 12/29). REUTERS' Shravanth Vijayakumar reported although no financial details of the deal were released, "media reports have suggested" that the Chinese club paid $87.65M for Tevez, who returned to Argentina last year after spells in England and Italy. The "hefty price tag" will make Tevez the world's sixth most expensive player, behind ManU's Paul Pogba, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid, Juventus forward Gonzalo Higuain and Barcelona's Neymar, according to transfermarkt.com. Tevez will team up with other "high-profile" internationals at the club, including Senegalese striker Demba Ba, Nigerian forward Obafemi Martins and Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarin (REUTERS, 12/29). The BBC reported Tevez played for seven years in the Premier League and won the title with both Manchester clubs. He also lifted the Champions League trophy with ManU in '08 before joining Juventus in '13, where he won two Italian championships (BBC, 12/29). The AP reported Tevez will be coached by Gus Poyet, the former EPL side Sunderland and La Liga side Real Betis manager who became Shenhua's manager in November. The CSL's shopping spree "has raised eyebrows and alarmed major European clubs who previously had no rival in attracting the world's top players." Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte said earlier this month that "the Chinese market is a danger for all" (AP, 12/29).
RELATIONSHIP BUILDER?: OLÉ reported Argentine President Mauricio Macri, the former president of Boca Juniors, said of Tevez's signing, "I love Carlitos a lot. ... What he did seems good to me. Also, eight months pass quickly. Perhaps next year we will have him again at Boca." Macri added, "Tevez can improve the relationship between Argentina and China" (OLÉ, 12/29).
