A multitude of reports earlier emerged that Chelsea midfielder Oscar is on the verge of completing a move to Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG. While pundits and fans were scrutinizing how much truth comprise in the grapevines, the Brazilian himself made it clear that rumours are nothing but real.
“It’s 90% certain. It just depends on some bureaucratic details,” Oscar affirming to SporTV via Globo.
It came out of nowhere. Earlier it was club legend John Terry who was heavily linked to China yet it has remained like treading water. Similar to Terry, the Brazilian was another player who has fallen out of favour of Conte’s masterplan.
Oscar may not have helped his side so much this season, having only played 9 matches and contributing a single assist, yet his departure will not only make room for new players to fill, Chelsea will receive approximately £60 million from his sale. In addition, the talented winger is set to earn around £350,000 a week. That’s a whopping amount of money for a player who is struggling to elbow his way past the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro and Victor Moses into the first team.
This deal would surpass Shanghai’s current club record where they splurged £56 million to secure the signature his compatriot Hulk from Zenit Saint Petersburg back in June. Under the tutelage of former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss, Andre Villas-Boas, the 25-year-old has had a quiet decent run of form in the league.
Besides that, this impressive deal will also break Chelsea’s record for a sale, leapfrogging ahead of the £50 million they received from PSG when David Luiz was sold in 2014. The London club paid £25 million to Internacional in 2012 and they would profit more than double the amount. A remarkable piece of business that even Arsene Wenger would applaud. Adding up to Chelsea’s financial clout, Antonio Conte will look to reel in more new faces to sustain their sublime form.
Oscar, on the other hand, could beat his own drum as he is about to be one of the most expensive players in the world yet at the age of 25, he is far from a finished product. He could combine skills and pace to a great effect, and capable of some outrageous long-distance goals. Perhaps a move to China could be just too early as there are a number of clubs monitoring his situation. Back in February, it was believed that Oscar had turned down an offer to join Jiangsu Suning.