Witsel snubs Juventus for China

By Football Italia staff

According to multiple reports, Zenit midfielder Axel Witsel decided to snub Juventus for the €18m salary at Shanghai SIPG or Tianjin Quanjian.

The Belgium international had suggested he was heading to Turin either in January or as a free agent at the end of the season after Zenit pulled the plug on transfer deadline day this summer.

However, he was swayed by the promise of wages worth €18m per year over a four-season contract in China.

Now several Italian sources, including Calciomercato.it, Tuttosport and the Corriere dello Sport, claim Witsel is ready to snub Champions League football at Juventus in order to pick up a massive pay packet in Asia.

Even then the situation isn’t over, as serial transfer saga protagonist Witsel is considering offers from both Shanghai SIPG and Fabio Cannavaro’s Tianjin Quanjian.

Zenit are simply content to pocket €20m for the 27-year-old, whose contract is due to expire in June, rather than the €6m Juventus were prepared to offer.

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