Witsel joins Chinese club for $52 million

Brussels : Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel has confirmed that he reached an agreement to play the next three seasons at Chinese football club Tianjin Quanjian for 50 million euros ($52 million). The Zenit St. Petersburg player told Italian portal Tuttosport on Monday that it was a very difficult decision because on the one hand there was an offer from a top club like reigning Serie A champions Juventus of Italy, reports Efe news agency. He added that on the other hand there was a crucial offer for his family from the Chinese side that he couldnt turn down. The 27-year-old international, whose salary was around three million euros (around $3.2 million) in Russia, will reportedly receive about 16 million euros (around $16.7 million) per year from the Chinese side, trained by former Italy defender and Ballon dOr winner Fabio Cannavaro. He will become one of the best paid players in the world to play in the Chinese Super League.-Agency