Iniesta: China not giving up on Barça ace despite Japan reports
Chinese media group Titan Sports claims that talks between Chongqing Dangdai Lifan and the Barcelona midfielder are ongoing.
An Andrés Iniesta move to China is not dead in the water just yet, according to reports in the Asian country - despite Spanish radio station Cadena SER last night revealing that the Barcelona legend is now set to join Japanese club Vissel Kobe on a three-year deal.
Chongqing negotiations not over, says Titan Sports
Although Chongqing Dangdai Lifan yesterday issued a statement ruling out his signing, Titan Sports claims talks between Iniesta and the Chinese Super League club are ongoing. The media group says Chongqing are struggling to meet his salary demands, with clubs such as Shanghai SIPG, Beijing Gouan and Hebei China Fortune all keeping close tabs on the situation.
As things stand, Iniesta does look to be closer to going to Japan than China. What is apparent, however, is that his departure from Barça is developing into a saga plagued by unknowns. The 33-year-old is a player who keeps his cards very close to chest and whose camp gives equally little away, making it very difficult to ascertain his current thinking.
Iniesta wants future resolved before World Cup
But one thing can be said for certain: the Spain midfielder wants to sort out his future before joining up with the La Roja squad for this summer's World Cup, allowing his full focus to be on what will be his last major international tournament.
"When the time comes to make the announcement, I'll do that," we have already been told by Iniesta, who is aware that he not only faces a huge decision in sporting terms, but also on a personal level. He doesn't want to rush into saying yes to a new team which, barring any late surprises, will be in either Japan or China.
| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
|---|
| Upcoming matches |
|---|