Beijing Guoan's attacking midfielder Xizhe Zhang could be on his way to Wolfsburg in January, according to WAZ.

Klaus Allofs, VfL sporting director, did admit that the Lower Saxony club are interested: "We have observed the player, and he seems very interesting. It is not yet set in stone, but it may well be that we sign a Chinese player for the first time."

Some people have suggested that the signing is just for financial gain, with the side's main backers, Volkswagen, apparently keen to make the signing happen. "That would not be at all fair on the player that we sign," said Allofs, "They must at least have the potential to be competitive in our squad." But the VfL boss also admits that in a Chinese player in the Wolves' jersey would be "ideal". "He would fit into the whole philosophy, with VW as our main partners."

It would also be a big deal for the Bundesliga; Zhang signed, it would be just the third Chinese player to play in the top German division, and the first since Hao Junmin in 2011. This was something Allofs was well aware of, "We would then have an exception in our squad, because there are not many Chinese players in the Bundesliga. This is something new, it would also be something of a trial."

Having scored 24 goals in his time in the Chinese capital, Zhang has enjoyed a fantastic previous season; he scored six goals himself and assisted twelve. Going by what he's said, in regards to the move, it could happen sooner rather than later, "I have been in contact with Wolfsburg for more than a year now and I've started to learn German. I see it only as a question of time, when it will start."