With only three rounds of fierce battles left in this season's Chinese Super League, Shandong Taishan is leading Shanghai Port with an eight-point advantage. If they can beat Guoan in this round, Taishan will win the title two rounds ahead of schedule. As for relegation, Shenzhen has basically locked the relegation spot due to poor management. A showdown between Dalian Ren and Nantong Zhiyun will determine the remaining relegation spots. The suspense is still there, which team can pick up the third place in the Chinese Super League and win a ticket to next season's AFC Champions League qualifying round? Currently, Shanghai Shenhua are ahead of Zhejiang on goal difference, while Beijing Guoan are just three points behind. Third place will be decided between Shenhua, Zhejiang and Guoan.
As the league nears its end, some teams have begun to focus on the transfer market. Chengdu Rongcheng has become a dark horse after being promoted to the Chinese Super League, and under the leadership of Korean coach Seo Jung-won, they are leading the league. If midfielder Romulo hadn't gotten injured, Chengdu Rongcheng might have been able to take their performance to the next level, and might even have been able to compete for a ticket to the AFC Champions League. The team's excellent performance has also filled the management with confidence, and the music department has begun to lay out a plan for next season's transfers in advance, looking for suitable targets to strengthen the lineup. According to domestic media reports, Chengdu Rongcheng has already locked a target, namely Shanghai Shenhua, a traditional powerhouse in the Chinese Super League.
This season, Shanghai Shenhua is operated by Jiuzhi Group. Jiuzhi Group not only helped the team to solve the wage and debt problems, but also introduced high-level internal and external reinforcements to accelerate the team's renewal. Young players have been reused, and two veterans, Peng Xinli and Bai Jiajun, have been loaned or transferred out. Peng Xinli, who quickly became a starter after his loan to Qingdao Hainiu, will probably not return to Shenhua as his lease contract will expire at the end of this season.
Recently, Chengdu Rongcheng is interested in recruiting Shenhua players, and Peng Xinli is eager to return to the Sichuan soccer team. Shanghai Shenhua are open to a transfer deal. Chengdu Rongcheng is also interested in Shenhua striker Liu Ruofan. Liu Ruofan was once a promising star in Chinese soccer, but his playing time at Shenhua was limited. He had a strong loan spell at Chengdu Rongcheng, scoring 13 goals in one season.
In order to get more opportunities to play, Liu Ruofan may apply for a transfer to Shenhua this summer. If Chengdu Rongcheng can successfully bring in Peng Xinli and Liu Ruofan, the overall strength of the team will be significantly improved.
Shanghai Port have virtually locked up the league title this season, but title-winning coach Javier and central midfielder Oscar could leave the club. Oscar's contract is set to expire in 2024 and he could be sold under the Chinese Super League's salary restriction. Therefore, Shanghai Port may look for Oscar's replacement in this offseason. Due to the salary restriction, Shanghai Port is unable to bring in high-level foreigners and may tap domestic players from the Chinese Super League to replace Oscar.
Taishan midfielder Liu Yang's outstanding performance at the Asian Games made him a target for Shanghai Port. Liu Yang mentioned in the interview that every off-season there are transfer rumors with Shanghai Port, but he said that the orange blood of Taishan always flows in his body.
