One of Neymar's former teammates at Barcelona, Javier Mascherano, was presented by his new Chinese Super League club, Hebei Fortune, with the Argentinian saying that playing in China won't affect his appearance at the World Cup. His arrival coincides with the exit of another South American as Guangzhou Evergrande did not name Jackson Martinez in their squad for the upcoming season, effectively releasing the 42 million euro transfer for free.

After seven-and-a-half years with Barcelona, Mascherano reunites with Manuel Pellegrini, his former coach at River Plate in Argentina. The two-time UEFA Champions League winner signed a two-year contract for a reported 6.7 million US dollars, just under the threshold imposed by Chinese FA.

China Fortune narrowly missed out on a place in the new season's AFC Champions League as they finished fourth in the CSL last season. The Langfang-based club kick-off their new season with a visit to Tianjin Teda tomorrow. Mascherano will wear his usual number 14 at his new club.

And in China's capital, Beijing Guoan presented a pair of new signings from the Spanish La Liga, Cedric Bakambu and Jonathan Viera. Viera last played for Las Palmas while Former Villarreal player Bakambu said it was hard for him to make the decision to move to Beijing Guoan, but that he is happy to be here.

The transfer drew much attention because it had stalled for months due to the new rule that the CFA introduced last year requiring clubs to pay 100 per cent of the transfer tax for overseas players to boost the country's youth football development. Roger Schmidt, Guoan's coach, expressed satisfaction with the new arrivals, and hopes for a better season than the last.