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4 top footballers still playing in Chinese Super League and earning an absolute fortune

The Chinese Super League has nabbed some of the best players in the world over the past decade and half with their extravagant wages but there has been an exodus recently

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There was a time when the top leagues of Europe were growing more and more concerned about the financial might of the Chinese Super League.

Across a few years, some huge names made their way across the globe to play in China including Carlos Tevez, Jackson Martinez and Hulk. Clubs were not afraid to splash the cash to get players in while also handing out mammoth wages.

However, the Chinese Super League is not what it used to be after the government implemented a 100 per cent tax on transfer fees, all but eradicating the wild spending era. Many have since left but there remains a handful of players still raking in big cash who once graced these shores.

READ MORE:6 transfers you may have missed on Deadline Day - Chelsea loan to Man Utd prodigy

Aston Villas scouts were commended when back in 2013 they captured Okore from Nordsjaelland for just 4million. However, just a few months into hisPremier Leaguecareer and the centre-back had ruptured his ACL and was ruled out for the season.

He would play just 38 times in the Premier League before returning to Denmark where he remained until 2021. That was when Changchun Yatai picked him up and penned him to a three year contract.

Love him or loathe him, there is no denying that Fellaini was one of the most important players atManchester Unitedwhen Jose Mourinho was in charge, scoring outrageously late goals to claw victory time and time again.

But after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived as manager, the Belgian was among the first out of the door and Shandong Taishan picked up the midfielder. He remains with the club still to this day, where he has scored 32 times in 80 games.

Perhaps the biggest profile in the Chinese Super League due to the extravagant fee involved (around 60m) and the fact he was in his prime when he leftChelseafor Shanghai Port. Now in his sixth year in China, Oscar remains the poster boy for the division.

There had been talk that the Brazilian could be on his way back to Europe this summer. However, the number of zeroes on his current pay check was enough to keep him happy in Shanghai.

A blast from the past but at youth level, Merida was tipped for stardom after coming up through theBarcelonaandArsenalacademies. However, after just eight appearances for the Gunners the midfielder had left for Atletico Madrid when his contract expired in 2010.

A series of moves across Spain would follow until this summer where Merida agreed a deal to join Tianjin Jinmen Tiger on a free transfer. And the 32-year-old has made an instant impact, scoring within his first three games in China.

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