July 28, Beijing time, the news from the soccer newspaper exploded the football world: in the Spanish club campaign Wu Lei, the Chinese player seems to be on the verge of returning to the Chinese Super League Shanghai SIPG in the transfer window this summer, to end his three-year-long overseas trip.
It is reported that the Spaniard club and Shanghai SIPG have reached a preliminary consensus on the return of Wu Lei, and there is little dispute between the two sides on the transfer fee. Informed sources revealed that Wu Lei chose to return home, the family factor is the main reason.
Despite the fact that the Spaniards are in the midst of their pre-season warm-up, Wu Lei missed the first match due to ill health. The official explanation said that Wu Lei stayed in Barcelona. The Spanish media speculated that Wu Lei is discussing his return with the club, Shanghai SIPG is eager for him to return to the team, while the Spaniards think there is no need for Wu Lei to play again.
At the end of last year, there were rumors that Wu Lei wanted to leave Espanyol, as he had lost his starting position in the team for a year and a half, mostly as a substitute. Shanghai SIPG has repeatedly tried to bring him back to strengthen the attacking force. Insiders pointed out that Wu Lei, as the best active player in the world, is bound to attract public attention, so all parties are waiting to see what will happen.
Wu Lei's contract with the Spaniards expires in two years. The Spanish team made a big change this summer, and the new manager Martinez took office, which should be a good opportunity for Wu Lei to prove himself. However, due to family reasons, he finally decided to return home. The epidemic made his family in Shanghai could not reunite with Wu Lei's wife and children in Barcelona, the old man missed his children very much, and other family factors also made him have to make the choice to return.
Wu Lei's wife also confessed in an interview that Wu Lei frequently returned to the country, and she alone in Barcelona to take care of the two children is really tired. Weighing the situation, Wu Lei decided to return to Shanghai harbor.
The Spaniards are open to Wu Lei's stay and departure, and there is little disagreement between the two sides on the transfer fee, the key lies in Wu Lei's personal will. His contract with the Spaniards was due to expire in 2024, and there are still two years to go. According to the transfer rules, Wu Lei's return is completely feasible, but the Spaniards may need a certain transfer fee, the specific amount has not yet been clarified.In 2019, Wu Lei joined the Spaniards with a transfer fee of 2 million euros, and the two sides need to further negotiate on the transfer fee.
It's worth noting that Wu Lei will be making a big sacrifice in terms of his personal salary upon his return to Shanghai Harbour this time around. His annual salary at Espanyol is no less than €1 million after tax, and with two years left in his contract before it expires, he has every option to stay there. However, returning to his home country for family reasons has left him with no choice but to accept the Chinese Super League's salary restriction policy, which stipulates that domestic players are paid a top salary of 5 million RMB before tax. This means that Wu Lei's annual salary after tax will be only half of what it was during his time with the Spaniards, a huge sacrifice indeed.
During his time at Espanyol, Wu Lei made 126 appearances, scoring 16 goals and assisting 6 times. At a time when the national team of the Chinese Super League is not performing well, Wu Lei is affectionately called "the hope of the whole village" by the fans, and has become the only Chinese player to play in the top five leagues. His ghostly running, one-touch goal, header goal, fairy ball, draw Barcelona and other wonderful performance has become the masterpiece of his career in the foreign countries.
Industry insiders commented, "Wu Lei dared to give up his high salary and chose to return to his home country under the pressure of public opinion, which is very encouraging in the current context of the national football team. I believe that Wu Lei's 3.5 years of experience at Spaniards will benefit him greatly and bring new hopes and possibilities for the national soccer team!"
