Chinese Super League powerhouse Shanghai SIPG FC smashes the current Chinese transfer record as they acquired Brazilian star Hulk from Russian football club Zenit Saint Petersburg for €55 million.

Hulk's move to Shanghai had topped the Chinese transfer record for the fifth time this year alone, according to the South China Morning Post.

Like Us on Facebook

The Brazilian forward is said to be "arriving in Shanghai on Wednesday morning" to officially join the Red Eagles for the rest of the season.

The Chinese record was previously set at €50 million before the 29-year-old winger's transfer when Jiangsu Suning snagged another Brazilian, Alex Teixeira, from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk in early February.

The record was actually topped four times just this year. The first time it happened was when Elkeson transferred from Guangzhou Evergrande to Shanghai SIPG on January 21 for €18.5 million. Then Jiangsu Suning got Ramires from English Premier League side Chelsea eight days later for €32 million.

It was broken for the third time when the Guangzhou Evergrande acquired Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid for €42 million on February 3 before Jiangsu's deal for Teixeira two days later.

ESPN reported that Hulk will receive a yearly wage of €20 million from the Red Eagles, making him one of the highest-paid football players in the world today.

Meanwhile, rumors abound that the 5-foot-11 Campina Grande, Brazil native's acquisition will instigate the release of SIPG flop striker Asamoah Gyan as the Ghanaian had not played up to expectations in Shanghai since the team signed him UAE Club Al Ain FC last summer.

Gyan had constantly been in and out of the lineup because of recurring injuries during the past season and a half and there are speculations that Red Eagles are ready to move on from him.

Only five foreign players are allowed in a single CSL squad with one of those players holding a passport from an AFC team.

Currently, SIPG has six with Hulk, Gyan, Elkeson, Argentina's Dario Conca, Ivory Coast's Jean Evrard Kouassi, and South Korea's Kim Ju-young. It remains to be seen which one of them is going to be released soon.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League news, Hulk, Shanghai SIPG FC, Zenit Saint Petersburg