Carlos Tevez is the latest high-profile international player to join the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Shenhua confirming the signing of the Argentina striker from his boyhood club Boca Juniors on Thursday.

“Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC reached a transfer agreement with Argentina Club Atletico Boca Juniors. Carlos Alberto Tevez is officially joined Shanghai Shenhua,” the club said in a statement on their website.

Although no financial details of the deal were released, reports have suggested that the Chinese club paid €84m (£71.6m) for Tevez, who returned to Argentina last year after spells in England and Italy.

That hefty price tag would make Tevez the world’s sixth most expensive player, behind Paul Pogba, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuaín and Neymar.

Tevez is also in line to become the sport’s highest paid player with the striker reportedly earning around £615,000 per week on a two-year contract with Shanghai Shenhua.

The 32-year-old is the second big-money arrival in China’s biggest city in less than a week after the Brazilian midfielder Oscar joined local rivals Shanghai SIPG from Chelsea in a deal believed to be worth £52m.

Graziano Pellè, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Jackson Martínez are all recent arrivals in China, while the Shanghai SIPG manager André Villas-Boas is also on a lucrative contract after replacing Sven Goran-Eriksson.

Tevez, who played for West Ham United, Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus during a decade in Europe after leaving Boca for Brazil’s Corinthians in 2005, ended his second spell with the Argentinian club on a high.

Having helped the club win the league title last year, Tevez starred in a 4-2 win over arch-rivals River Plate in the superclasíco this month, a victory that lifted Boca into first place in the championship.

Tevez will team up with other high-profile internationals at the club, including the Senegalese striker Demba Ba, the Nigerian forward Obafemi Martins and the Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarín.

Despite a highly-successful club career, Tevez has failed to light up the international stage, having scored 13 goals in 76 appearances for Argentina. He did, however, play a pivotal role in the country winning gold at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Boca Juniors offered Tevez their best wishes in a statement announcing his departure, which included the message: “Good luck Carlitos. You will always be in our hearts.”

Shanghai Shenhua, who appointed Gus Poyet as manager last month, finished fourth in the 2016 Chinese Super League, which ran from March to the end of October, 16 points behind champions Guangzhou Evergrande.