Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport is confident that Belgian international midfielder Axel Witsel will not be arriving in Turin in January, after choosing to continue his career in the lucrative Chinese Super-League.
 

The 27-year-old has been on the bianconeri’s radar since last summer and only an eleventh hour hitch prevented him joining the club at the start of the season. Now the pink journal states that Shanghai SIPG, currently coached by ex-Zenit boss Andre Villas-Boas, have offered his former club €18 million to bring the player to China. The Russian club are reportedly holding out for €25 million for someone to take him in January, although the player will be a free-agent at the end of the season.  

There has also been reported interest from Tanjin, the club coached by former Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro, and now it seems certain that despite all the attention surrounding a possible move to Juventus, his future loos likely to be in the Far-East.


Steve Mitchell @barafundler