Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says Chinese spending power “a danger to every club in the world” as Oscar exit looms
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes every club in the world is under threat of having star players prised away by cash-rich Chinese teams.
Blues midfielder Oscar is on the verge of finalising a mooted £50m move to Shanghai SIPG, where he is reportedly set to earn an eye-watering £400,000-a-week.
Conte expects to receive a significant proportion of what will be Chelsea's record sale to reinvest into his Premier League table-topping squad in January.
Read more: Why there will be more and more Premier League stars leaving for China
Yet the Italian described the rise of the Chinese Super League, where at least 15 per cent of players earning over €100,000 currently ply their trade, represents a "danger" to clubs across the world.
Cheque please: Oscar is set to earn a staggering £400,000 a week in China (Source: Getty)
Chelsea sold Oscar's fellow Brazilian Ramires to Jiangsu Suning for £20m last January, as Chinese clubs flexed their financial muscle with the capture by signing 13 players on contracts in excess of €100,000.
However, Conte also added that he thought the prestige of the Premier League would trump Chinese cash for most players.
"The Chinese market is a danger for all all teams in the world, not only for Chelsea, but for all teams," said the Italian.
"But we must concentrate on our work, not think that in China there is a lot of money and they can arrive to take players.
"I think this league is fantastic. To play in this league is a great opportunity, an honour. You must be very proud to play in this league because now it's the best league in the world to play. For this reason, I don't worry about this. I think that every single player is the owner of his own future."