CHINA TOPIX

04/26/2024 07:05:40 pm

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Chinese Super League Rumors: Fiorentina Striker Nikola Kalinic Turns Down $53M CSL Offer

Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic

(Photo : Getty Images) Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic has rejected a $53 million offer from Tianjin Quanjian.

Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic said that he rejected a huge $53 million offer to move to the Chinese Super League, saying that he thinks his market value does not cost that much anyway.

Kalinic, 29, was the target of English Premier League club West Ham United during Europe's winter transfer window with Hammers head coach Slaven Bilić reportedly keen on getting former Blackburn Rovers standout. However, no agreement was reached until the transfer window closed at the end of last month.

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On the other hand, the Chinese winter window is still ongoing until the end of February and Kalinic has been offered $53 million by newly-promoted Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian. The Croatian eventually turned down the proposal, saying that he is "not worth" that amount of money.

"It would have been a done deal if I had said yes," Kalinic said with regards to the China offer. He admitted that Quanjian head coach Fabio Cannavaro, himself an Italian football legend, called him but he immediately closed the issue by not accepting the deal.

"I am really not worth the €50 million (£42.5 million) release clause and I doubt anyone will spend that for me," said Kalinic. "I want to point out I didn't know precisely how much the offer was but money isn't everything in life."

"I only just arrived in the football that really matters a year and a half ago and I didn't want to leave now," he said, pertaining to his Fiorentina signing in 2015, Sportal reported. He then said that he believes he still has "a lot to give in European football."

The 6-foot-2 goalscorer has been with Viola for one-and-a-half season since he was acquired from Ukrainian side FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the summer of 2015 for an undisclosed transfer fee. He has scored 27 goals in 71 appearances in all competitions so far for head coach Paulo Sousa's side.

Meanwhile, The Sun reported that West Ham will take another attempt to swoop at the Croatia international at the end of the season when the summer transfer window opens.

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