A report on Chinese website 163.com revealed that Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande has struck a 100M RMB ($16.3M) shirt sponsorship deal "with car manufacturer Dongfeng Nissan" for the '14 season, according to Christopher Atkins of WILD EAST FOOTBALL. The deal will see Evergrande bear the name of Nissan subsidiary Venucia on the front of its shirts, "a brand launched in 2010 selling a range of cars especially for the Chinese domestic market." Evergrande will reportedly receive 80M RMB ($13M) up front in cash, "with the remainder to arrive later in the one-year deal between the two parties." The move is just one of many that Evergrande is making toward "long-term sustainability and dominance in the Asian market" (WILD EAST FOOTBALL, 2/8).
NEW KID: WILD EAST FOOTBALL's Cameron Wilson wrote Evergrande "has become the first Chinese club to sign a player on active international duty with a major European footballing power" with the capture of Italian footballer Alessandro Diamanti for €6.9M ($9.4M) from Serie A side Bologna. In "what is another coup" for the CSL, Evergrande has replaced the outgoing Dario Conca, twice Brazilian League player of the year, by signing a current Italy int'l in the shape of Diamanti, who has 17 caps for his country. According to Italian media reports, current Italy coach Cesare Prandelli "assured Diamanti that moving to the CSL would not affect the 30-year-old’s chances of being called up to the Italian squad for the World Cup in Brazil this summer" (WILD EAST FOOTBALL, 2/8).
