Premier League new boys Wolves interested in Chinese soccer star Wu Lei: reports
Updated 12:42, 04-Aug-2018
Chen Rong
["europe"]
Chinese soccer star Wu Lei is reportedly on the radar of the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves), according to The Express and Star.
The Wolverhampton-based club in the West Midlands, England, is making a comeback to the Premier League as the Wolves will compete in the 2018-2019 season for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
With the League transfers closing on August 9, the club, owned by Chinese conglomerate Fosun since 2016, is targeting on the 26-year-old Chinese winger to improve both its commercial value and influence on the market.
Wu, who currently plays for Shanghai SIPG, has the highest scoring record for an active player in the Chinese Super League (CSL), with 88 goals in China's top flight.
This season, Wu scored 15 times in 25 appearances and continues to be the reigning Chinese domestic goal-scoring champion for the fifth consecutive year.
He has made 52 appearances for the Chinese national team scoring 11 goals, which is eclipsed by his record of 155 goals in 328 appearances for Shanghai SIPG.
However, there are some doubts on the undecided contract
Play time is crucial to Chinese players, otherwise it is pointless to sign with a European club if they cannot appear for even less than a minute on the pitch, said Wu's current club boss Xu Genbao.This could explain why Wu has rejected previous offers from European clubs, with which his game appearances was not guaranteed.
Also, Shanghai SIPG may not let the soccer star go easily because of his increasing value and much-anticipated appearances in the upcoming CSL games.