Chinese clubs outspend Premier League by more than $100 million

Chinese clubs outspent their Premier League rivals by more than $100 million on international transfers during the two most recent transfer windows.

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Sides in the Chinese Super League splashed some serious cash during the close season on overseas imports, with the signing of Liverpool target Alex Teixeira by Jiangsu Suning for almost $75 million the biggest individual deal.

Jiangsu also signed Brazil midfielder Ramires from Chelsea, and overall Chinese clubs spent $396 million on international transfers between January 1 and February 26, 2016, according to data from FIFA's transfer matching system (TMS).

English top-flight sides spent $242million between January 1 and February 1.The Chinese total was also only $77 million lower than the overall amount spent during the winter window by the 'big five' European leagues in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain combined.

However, Chinese spending is still dwarfed when a like-for-like comparison is made between England and China's close-season windows.

TMS data showed Premier League clubs spent almost one billion US dollars (around $1238 million) during the summer 2015 window, more than three times the amount spent by Chinese clubs during their close season.

But the Chinese spending is still significant, and has more than trebled from the previous close season total of $113 million, even though only 22 more overseas incoming deals were recorded by TMS in 2016 compared to 2015.

Chinese president Xi Jinping is a big football fan and has tried to encourage the wealthy owners of the clubs to spend big in a bid to raise the Super League's global profile.

Jiangsu are owned by the Suning retail group, while Asian Champions League holders Guangzhou are owned by the Evergrande real estate company.

Other big-name players to have moved to China include former Arsenal winger Gervinho and Colombian forward Jackson Martinez, who joined Guangzhou from Atletico Madrid.