Chelsea’s Ramires joins Jiangsu in record China soccer deal

Brazilian midfielder Ramires on Wednesday moved from Chelsea to Jiangsu Suning for a reported US$35 million, making him the biggest ever signing by a Chinese club.

Chelsea said a “permanent transfer” for the 28-year-old had been agreed, without giving details of the fee. British media said Jiangsu had paid at least US$35 million.

The Ramires deal is a new sign of the financial power of Chinese football clubs in the international transfer market.

According to a Fifa report released last week, China was the sixth biggest transfer spender in 2015 and the biggest outside the major European leagues in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

The US$168 million spent by Chinese Super League clubs in 2015 was 68 per cent higher than for 2014 and observers said the Ramires transfer is a sign the record will be smashed again this year.

Ivory Coast striker Gervinho moved from Roma to Hebei Fortune in another major move from Europe to the east.