English Premier League giant Manchester City is reportedly "in negotiations" to takeover a Chinese Super League franchise either in Shanghai or Beijing.

City Watch reported that the City Football Group (CFG), which also owns Major League Soccer's New York City FC, A-League's Melbourne City FC, and J1 League's Yokohama F. Marinos, intend to further expand its brand worldwide by acquiring a club in China's first division association football league.

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City is reportedly planning to turn the club that they will buy "into a new franchise" that is expected to also don the company's brand.

At the moment, there are two CSL squads based in Shanghai, namely the Shanghai Greenland Shenhua FC and Shanghai SIPG FC. Meanwhile, Beijing Guoan FC is the only team in the China top-flight that represents the country's capital city.

China League One, the second-tier football division, has Shanghai Shenxin and Beijing Renhe currently representing the two cities.

City reportedly plans to train its players around the world. Therefore, building a training facility in China is an important part of its vision.

Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the City Group is trying to "woo fans across Asia" and having a base in China would help the organization in its endeavor.

City established a "commercial office in Shanghai earlier this year." The company already has regional centers in Singapore, Tokyo, Melbourne, and Abu Dhabi.

City Group's chief commercial officer Tom Glick said that "it's impossible to overstate football's role in the sporting and cultural landscape of Southeast Asia" and that more than "half of Manchester City's 400 million fans are in Asia", which justifies their focus on the region.

"Our ownership has a clear vision for a sustainable network of winning teams, playing beautiful football, committed to the communities they operate in," Glick added.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League rumors, Manchester City, Shanghai, Beijing