ARGENTINA’S former Manchester United and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has signed for Shanghai Shenhua in the latest big-money Chinese deal, the club said Thursday.

    The acquisition of the 32-year-old from Buenos Aires side Boca Juniors will “greatly enhance” the team’s front line, Shenhua said on a verified social media account.

    “The club looks forward to Tevez helping Greenland Shenhua attack cities and strike stockades in Asian and domestic matches and contribute to more exciting games for fans,” it said, calling him “the most outstanding striker in Argentina’s history.”

    It did not put a value on the transaction, but Argentine media previously reported Tevez would make US$84 million over two years under the contract — 20 times his previous earnings.

    In a statement Boca thanked Tevez, who was on his second spell with the club, scoring 25 goals in 56 matches, including a double in a 4-2 Clasico victory over its bitter rival River Plate earlier this month

    Boca wished him good luck, saying he had left fans with “unforgettable memories” and telling him they would be “dreaming of your return.”

    “We’ll work on bringing you back,” it added. “No effort is too great to have you wearing our shirt again.”

    After passing a medical Tevez will join the rest of the squad on the Japanese island of Okinawa, where they are holding preseason training until late January, according to Shenhua.

    The side is coached by former Uruguay international Gus Poyet, who was installed last month after the club parted ways with his Spanish predecessor Gregorio Manzano despite finishing fourth in the Chinese Super League.

    The move makes Tevez the latest international name, many of them South American, lured to Chinese soccer for eye-watering sums of money.

    Crosstown rival Shanghai SIPG, coached by former Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas, last week agreed a record deal for Chelsea’s 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder Oscar.

    Before the Oscar deal Chinese Super League clubs had already splashed out more than US$400 million on players this year, after President Xi Jinping laid out a vision of turning the country into a soccer power.

    Chinese teams broke the Asian record three times in just 10 days in the January-February transfer window, and moved it still higher when Brazil’s Hulk joined SIPG for 55.8 million euros (US$58.7 million) in July.

    Chinese clubs are now competing with European rivals for world-class players, who are opting for astronomical pay packets over the chance of a career in soccer’s top leagues.(SD-Agencies)