Recent rumors have emerged that Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan could be released by Chinese Super League powerhouse Shanghai SIPG FC now that the club has signed Brazilian winger Hulk.

SIPG recently acquired the 29-year-old Hulk from Russian Premier League side FC Zenit Saint Petersburg for a new Chinese transfer record of €55.8 million. The 5-foot-11 Campina Grande, Brazil native was given a salary of €320,000 per week, or €16.6 million annually, which is double of what Seleção captain Neymar earns in Barcelona and makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world right now.

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With such expensive investment, the Red Eagles are expected to maximize his utilization for the foreseeable future.

According to CSL rules, only four non-Asian imports and one Asian international can be suited up for each club in the China top flight competitions. At the moment, the Massive has six internationals with five non-Asian ones, namely Gyan, Hulk, Dario Conca, Jean Evrard Kouassi, and Elkeson. The team's Asian import is South Korean defender Kim Ju-young.

Goal reported that the 30-year-old goalscorer is "on the verge of leaving the club" after Hulk's arrival and that SIPG have already "agreed to end Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan's two-year contract".

Gyan is currently earning €271,000 per week, which makes him the world's sixth highest-paid football player, and Shanghai is said to be keen on lifting it out of their books.

The Accra native had been on a lackluster stint at the Shanghai Stadium that was hindered by a lot of injury woes since he was acquired in July of last year from UAE club Al Ain FC. He was never the high-impact player that the club expected them to be and so senior officials may have already pulled the plug on his deal.

Meanwhile, Ghana Soccernet indicated that head coach Sven-Göran Eriksson remained "coy" about his striker's future, saying that "Sorry, I am not clear at the moment on what is going to happen with Asamoah" when he was asked by a reporter.

Eriksson has yet to field in Hulk since his acquisition on June 30. However, the Brazil international is anticipated to be part of the team's starting XI against Henan Jianye on Sunday.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League rumors, Asamoah Gyan, Shanghai SIPG FC, Hulk