Tianjin Quanjian Football Club of the Chinese League One registered a new domestic player transfer record after signing goalkeeper Zhang Lu for a whooping 70 million yuan (US$ 10.65 million) deal.

Liaoning Hongyu FC of the Chinese Super League announced the goalkeeper's exit from the team on Wednesday via Weibo.

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"Since Zhang is eager to play for a team from his hometown, we respect his decision despite previous attempts to retain him." Zhang's former team stated.

Tianjin Quanjian has verified the signing of the 28-year-old Tianjin native later.

Zhang, a national team member, was captain of Liaoning. Zhang's transfer fee climbed to 70 million yuan, a new record for a domestic player, exceeding the 66-million yuan record set by midfielder Sun Ke, who incidentally will also play for Quanjian next season.

Tianjin Quanjian was formerly called Tianjin Songjiang FC before being bought by the Quanjian Natural Medicine Group in 2015. The club finished ninth in the 16-team Chinese League One last year. The team is based in Tianjin and is currently being managed by Brazilian coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo.

Meanwhile, Tianjin Quanjian has announced that Sun will play for the club next year. The club has set a clear goal of advancing to the Chinese Super League by signing the top two high-priced domestic players in the coming season.

The club has also been very active in enticing high profile Brazilian football players from the Brazilian Championship Serie A.

The Chinese outfit made headlines when the club made a very lucrative offer to the former AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato of Corinthians. But it was turned down by the Brazilian player.

However, Tianjin Quanjian has found success in persuading other Brazilian talents. Midfielder Jadson moved to China in December to join the club after the Corinthians accepted a US$ 5.4 million offer. The club also secured Luis Fabiano from Sao Paulo in the same month.

TagsChinese league one, Vanderlei Luxemburgo