Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian has confirmed that they have made contact with Chelsea striker Diego Costa in a bid to lure the Spanish striker to China, sources confirmed.
The club also turned down the chance to sign Radamel Falcao from Monaco, it was revealed.
Tianjin Quanjian are hoping to sign a big-name striker from a European club to boost their attacking prowess ahead of the 2017 season. However, several footballers such as Carlos Bacca and Nikola Kalinic has turned down big-money offers from the club.
“We made an attempt for Pato last year but he is not willing to come because our club was still in second division then. After we get promoted, he came”, the club manager Shu Yuhui said.
“We also approached Diego Costa and other stars. It remains to be seen who will join us in June but I can assure you that the new players will be on the same level as Costa”, he added.
“We had an overnight negotiation and Falcao was about to sign the contract to join us. However, the deal was scuppered by [manager Fabio] Cannavaro who later told us he doesn’t suit our style of play”, he told reporters regarding Radamel Falcao.