Will Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang really choose China over the Premier League?

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of the most in-demand footballers on the planet and likely has his pick of multiple Champions League clubs in multiple countries to join this summer. He could stay with Dortmund and get a sizeable raise, too. But instead of competing with the best in Europe, it appears increasingly possible that Aubameyang could opt to make a big money move to China.

Bild is reporting that Tianjin Quanjian and Aubameyang have come to an agreement that his salary would be an astonishing €30 million per season if he joins up. The club hasn’t made a bid yet, but they’re apparently willing to pay Dortmund in excess of €70 million.

If Aubameyang joins the CSL, he’ll represent the league’s biggest capture yet. Chinese clubs have signed other big-name players, but they’ve mostly been on the downside of their careers, or coming off recent poor seasons with big clubs. Aubameyang is much more highly coveted than the likes of Jackson Martinez and Oscar were when they left Europe for China.

Aubameyang bolting for China would be disappointing from a pure soccer perspective. Chinese soccer is growing and might be the future of the sport, but the highest level of the game is in Europe, and the top competitions would be better off for having Aubameyang in them.

But if Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Juventus aren’t among the clubs bidding for Aubameyang, he might feel like he doesn’t have a chance to win the Champions League anyway. He’s a Gabonese international, so he doesn’t have to worry about keeping his place for the upcoming World Cup. And he’s 28, so this might be his only shot at a truly enormous contract.

It would be disappointing to see a top player leave Europe for China in the prime of his career. But given the reported payday, can you really blame him?

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