REPORT: Barcelona close to sign £400,000-a-week former Chelsea player
Report claims Barcelona have made contact with Chinese club Shanghai SIPG about signing the Brazilian midfielder.
However, according to Brazilian media outlet TNT Sports via Metro, Spanish side Barcelona are interested in signing former Chelsea star Oscar.
Oscar is currently the fifth-highest earner in world football. Oscar’s initial contract in Shanghai saw him paid around £400,000-a-week, but he signed an extension in 2019 which is reportedly worth over £560,000-a-week until 2024.
Barcelona have reportedly made contact with Oscar this month about joining the Spanish side and hope that he is willing to accept a substantial pay cut to play in La Liga as they are unable to afford his current wages.
Barcelona would also find any transfer fee hard to come by, with Shanghai SIPG unlikely to let the Brazilian leave cheaply with two years left to run on his contract.
The 30-year-old has been playing in Shanghai since leaving Stamford Bridge in 2017. He has won the Super League and a Super Cup in China, after winning two Premier League titles during his time with Chelsea. He has also played for Brazil 48 times, scoring 12 goals.
However, he hasn’t won a cap for Brazil since making the move to the Chinese league in 2017.