La Liga's RCD Espanyol has extended its contract with Chinese striker Wu Lei to June 2024 announced the team on Monday. 

"Precisely the Chinese striker of Espanyol, who had a contract until December 31, 2020 with the option of one more season, will continue to be part of the Blue and White team until June 2024, after the agreement reached in the last hours," read the official announcement. 

The renewal of the contract came as no big surprise as Wu said last month that he will stay at Espanyol despite the team being relegated to the Segunda Division in an interview with CGTN.

"I saw that a lot of people have been talking about the next stop for me," said the 28-year-old, "but I've been expressing my thoughts, including what I wrote for my weekly dairy, and I've made the decision to stay at Espanyol next season. I will play in the Segunda Division with my team."

"Our goal is to return to La Liga as soon as possible and we are confident because our abilities are not those of a bottom-of-the-table team," he said.

According to the club's statement, Wu Lei, together with the team's goalkeeper Diego Lopez and defender Didac Vila all agreed to lower their salaries for their new contracts as a result of the team's relegation. 

Since joining Espanyol in 2019, Wu has scored eight goals with the best in his opinion being the late equalizer he scored against city rivals Barcelona on January 5. 

"I scored a last-gasp goal to help the team claim a point, which increased the club's confidence and gave us some momentum at that time."

The new contract means Wu will spend almost all his final professional career stage at RCDE Stadium.

(Cover image: Wu Lei in action during the La Liga match between RCD Espanyol and RC Celta de Vigo at RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, July 19, 2020. /VCG)