China's transfer record kept tumbling as Jiangsu Suning splashed out 50 million euros to buy Brazilian midfielder Alex Teixeria on Friday.
The record has been shattered four times by cash-rich Chinese Super League sides in a month, first by Brazilian Elkeson, the top scorer of Chinese and Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande, sold to Shanghai SIPG on 18.5 million euros on Jan. 21.
The 26-year-old Teixeira from Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk agreed to a four-year contract with the newest record.
The sum beat the 2-day-old Chinese and Asian record set by Colombian Jackson Martinez who joined Evergrande on 42 million euros on Wednesday.
Teixeira will join compatriot Ramires in midfield, a China record of 28 million euros until Evergrande's signing of Martinez. Croatian Jorge Sammir and Australian Trent Sainsbury are Suning's other foreign recruits.
"Alex is a versatile player who can play may roles. He will boost the team's competitiveness considerably. We believe that he is worth that sum," Suning general manager Liu Jun said.
Teixeira, who started off at Brazil's Vasco da Gama, joined the Ukrainian side in 2010 on a 6-million-euro deal. He led the team to five league and three Cup titles, named the Golden Boot in the 2014-2015 season, having scored 26 goals in his latest 26 appearances for Donetsk.
Donetsk reportedly refused Chelsea's 32-million-euro offer for Teixeira. English and Brazilian media disclosed the Ukrainian side asked for 49 million.
Teixeira has passed the physical exam and will meet new teammates soon in Nanjing to prepare for the Asian Champions League, said a club source.
Liu, the general manager, revealed that Suning is seeking a forward before the new season kicks off in March.
"We plan to recruit the last player, an effective forward, to complete the jigsaw puzzle of foreign players," he said.
The latest signing helped the Chinese Super League overtake the English Premier League in spending during the winter transfer window, the transfermarkt website said.
With soccer listed as a sporting priority of the country, Chinese clubs have spent lavishly on foreign talent, hoping to raise the standard of the under-performing domestic league and international competition.
The cashed-up CSL have so far spent 258.9 million euros in China's current transfer window. Premier League clubs spent 247.3 million euros in the European window.
The second-tier China League One even ranked ahead of the Bundesliga in Germany, Spain's Primera Division and France's Ligue 1 for spending, according to the transfermarkt website.
