With European league seasons winding down, summer transfer speculation has begun in earnest with what you'd expect:
The Mirror reported that Tianjin Quanjian of the Chinese Super League offered Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a salary that would amount to more than $55 million per year. The Metro has also reported on the audacious bid.
China boasts three of the five highest paid footballers in the world, with Carlos Tevez ($41.3 million), Ezequiel Lavezzi ($26.8M), and Oscar ($25.8M) joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
There is no indication that Aubameyang will seriously consider playing in China, but the offer reflects a growing trend of Chinese teams paying players far more than they could earn in Europe. Relative to MLS, CSL teams have had more success attracting stars in their prime years, with Oscar (25), Alex Teixeira (27) and Paulinho (28) all currently playing in China.
Considering his current form, the soon to be 28-year-old Aubameyang has at least a few prime years ahead of him. He's scored 37 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund this season and promises to be a summer target for several of the top European clubs this summer.
In addition to the lucrative salary offer, Tianjin is ready to meet Dortmund's rumored transfer valuation of $88 million.
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