During the long Chinese Super League break, Shanghai Harbour's international superstar, Austria's Arnautovic, had already embarked on a trip back to Europe to join the Austrian national team's preparations for the UEFA Europa League. However, on June 7, Beijing time, Russia's famous sports information platform "sports" website suddenly broke a heavy news, claiming that Arnautovic will soon join a Russian Premier League team! This makes the future of Shanghai Harbor in a cold sweat.
According to the outlet, "We have learned from a reliable source that Arnautovic is on the verge of joining FC Dynamo Moscow and that the transfer negotiations between the two sides are in the final stages. Previously, Dynamo Moscow have shown strong interest in Arnautovic's transfer, with the club planning to loan Komlitschko to Rostov in order to buy out Arnautovic." It is not yet clear how Arnautovic's transfer will take place. He has two years left on his contract with Shanghai Seaport and Dinamo Moscow would theoretically have to pay a huge transfer fee. However, there are also reports in foreign media that Arnautovic is negotiating the termination of his contract with Shanghai Seaport, and that if he succeeds in doing so, he will join another team as a free agent, at which point Shanghai Seaport will not be able to recoup the transfer fee. As one of the largest professional sports media in Russia, the website "sports" is highly credible. They were the first to report that Dalian's foreign aid Long Dong would return to Russia, and then Dalian did loan Long Dong to a Russian super team. This time, they once again broke the news that Arnautovic will soon leave the Chinese Super League, which has to attract people's attention.
On the other hand, Arnautovic will be representing his national team in the Europa League, and if the original plan is followed, he is bound to miss several rounds of Chinese Super League matches. Of course, with the adjustment of the Chinese national team's schedule, the start of the Chinese Super League fixtures has been postponed accordingly, and it may not be until mid-July before the opportunity to restart. By then, Arnautovic is expected to be in time for the games, but there are still many uncertainties. After Hulk's departure, Arnautovic has become a central force in Shanghai Seaport's forward line. His presence is especially important when Lopez is not emphasizing on using him. So far, he has made 39 appearances for Shanghai Seaport and contributed 20 goals. However, the continuous transfer rumors are certainly a huge risk signal for Shanghai Seaport.
