Carlos Tevez mobbed by fans after arriving in China as he’s set to earn £615,000-a-week, after it emerges Chinese government blocked a potential world record deal for star name
Forward lands in Shanghai with hoards of supporters eager to catch a glimpse
CARLOS TEVEZ was mobbed by fans after arriving in China, just hours after it emerged the Chinese government blocked a potential world record transfer deal for a big-name star.
Former Premier League star Tevez, 32, stunned the world when he revealed he was joining Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua in a two-year, £64million deal.
He joined fellow star names such as former Chelsea duo Oscar and John Obi Mikel - and perennial Arsenal target Axel Witsel - in leaving Europe's top clubs in search of a new money-laden start in Asia.
Keep up to date with ALL the Chinese Super League news, gossip and transfers on our club page.
On landing in Shanghai the former West Ham, Manchester City and Manchester United forward was greeted by thousands of ecstatic fans eager to catch a glimpse of their marquee signing.
The hoards of supporters handed Tevez flowers and a handful of club scarves - in scenes similar to those seen on Oscar's arrival in the nation.
Tevez's staggering deal saw him leave boyhood club Boca Juniors in order to earn £32m per year - at an eye-watering £615,000-a-week.
The Argentine's arrival in Asia came just hours after reports broke that the Chinese government BLOCKED a mega-money deal for a star name, which would have seen the world record transfer fee shattered.
That figure currently stands at the £89million Man United spent to bring former Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba to Old Trafford.
The reported figure for the unnamed player looked to be around £104million, according to a Chinese media outlet - who added the string of big-money foreign investments were ruining the national side.
They said: “A string of big-money transfers in recent months have struck a nerve with high-ranking leaders who took charge of Chinese football.
"They took particular exception to those deals completed at the beginning of the year.
“The Chinese football association (CFA) was told to come up with new regulations to curtail the irrational investment on foreign players.
"To make matters worse, the Chinese national team had suffered a miserable run of results in the World Cup qualifiers, which prompted those high-ranking leaders to conclude that money is not being well-spent.
“As a matter of fact, a CSL club was about to complete the signing of a foreign player for a stunning transfer fee of €120m (£104m), if it were not for the new restrictions.
"The CFA were warned that the football market would be utterly ruined if the shopping spree goes on.
“And it’s worth mentioning that even some state-owned enterprises are burning money without any restraints, which sets a really bad example.
"For all the negatives though, new regulations are the only and the most effective treatment to cure the illness of abnormal investment.”
Although the player subject to the £104million bid was not named, the rumours suggest it could be one of Karim Benzema, Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani or even Chelsea superstar Diego Costa.
CSL side Tianjin Quanjian recently enquired about all of the above players, only to reveal they too were held back by the new restrictions imposed.