Rio de Janeiro, Jan 23 (IANS) Fluminense’s Dario Conca will play in the Chinese Super League after the Brazilian club accepted a proposal from Shanghai SIPG for the midfielder, Brazilian media has reported.
The Argentine player will receive 56 million reals for a two-year contract with Shanghai SIPG, which just signed former England team coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, reports Xinhua.
Conca, who came back to Fluminense in 2014 from Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, is said to be unhappy at the Brazilian club due to a delay in the payment over image rights after investment group Unimed parted ways with the club in the end of last year.
The image-rights revenue takes up the majority of Conca’s salary at Fluminense.
Although the final contract hasn’t been signed between the two sides, Brazilian media believed that there is no hurdle in Conca’s transfer after Fluminense accepted the proposal. Unimed, who also owns the economic rights of Conca, has already authorised the transfer.
Amid the financial crisis at Fluminense as a result of the withdrawal of Unimed, veteran Brazilian striker Fred, who also face a delay in payment over image-rights, is also set to go to China.
An unnamed Chinese club has made a proposal for Fred and he can leave the club soon. Fred had a lacklustre performance at last year’s World Cup, but the 31-year-old was the top scorer in the Brazilian league last year.
Conca traveled in a separate flight back to Brazil Monday after Fluminense ended their pre-season training in the United States. Conca was said to be informed of the offer from China during his stay in the United States.
Conca made a late appearance at Fluminense’s Thursday’s regular training.
Conca is well known in China after a successful two-and-a-half years spell with Guangzhou Evergrande that ended in December 2013.
He returned to his former club Fluminense last January and scored 16 goals from 59 matches across all competitions.
His move will mark another Brazilian among the growing ranks of South Americans joining the Chinese Super League.
Last week, two Chinese teams announced major signings with Brasileirao’s high-profile players.
Brazil international midfielder Ricardo Goulart from Cruzeiro has signed a four-year deal with Guangzhou Evergrande, while Brazil striker Diego Tardelli from Atletico Mineiro signed with Shandong Luneng.