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Liverpool sit joint-third alongside Premier League rivals Arsenal in the top 10 of China's most popular teams, according to a new report.

A huge surge of interest in football over the last few years in the country has seen the Chinese Super League emerge as one of the wealthiest divisions in world football.

A whole host of stars have made the jump from big European sides to clubs such as Shanghai SIPG, Jiangsu Suning and Shanghai Shenhua, with the likes of Hulk, Oscar and Carlos Tevez all making the switch over the last year.

However, despite the rise of the Chinese Super League, European clubs still dominate the popularity stakes in the region and the Reds have been named as the third most supported side, alongside the Gunners.

Manchester United have replaced Bayern Munich as the most popular side in China, according to a new report conducted by Mailman, which took its data from Chinese social media platforms WeChat and Weibo, as well as audience figures of games shown in the country.

(Image: PA Wire)

Mailman's head of sport Dave Hornby told the BBC: "The Premier League is complacent. Its clubs have decent numbers of followers on Weibo, but not as high engagement.

"The Bundesliga clubs are far more active. The German league tells its clubs what to do, whereas the respective Premier League clubs are in control of what they do."

Manchester City make up the top five, followed by Real Madrid, AC Milan, Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund, with La Liga giants Barcelona surprisingly languishing in 10th, despite the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in their ranks.

Cristiano Ronaldo is named as the most popular player in China ahead of Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and Gareth Bale.

United captain Wayne Rooney features in the top five alongside teammate Anthony Martial, with no Liverpool star featuring in the country's top five.