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SWM chairman Gong Daxing told Xinhua that “Iniesta’s arrival would be beneficial for Chongqing, and a great bonus for our brand as well.”
This comes on the back of Chinese broadcaster PPTV announcing that Iniesta will sign for Chongqing and that the move will be confirmed next week.
Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri tweeted that Iniesta will be paid €37 million (US$45.6 million) per year, while others report that he will sign a three-year deal.
The club, referred to in some quarters as Chongqing SWM this season, are owned by billionaire Jiang Lizhang who also has interests in Spanish side Granada, Italian club Parma and the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA.
Iniesta visited Chongqing last summer as a guest of club chairman Jiang, whose Desports agency counts the midfielder as a client. A video of Jiang being interviewed by a Chinese football media outlet has been shared on Chinese social media in which he confirms that business relationship but refuses to comment on the transfer.