Naútico president Paulo Wanderley has admitted that star centre-forward Kieza is bound for China after the club failed to strike a deal to secure a permanent stay for their 2012 top-scorer.
Kieza, 25, scored 13 goals in 20 Série A games last season to ensure his club’s top-flight survival after arriving from Emirati side Al-Shabab in mid-season. In 2011, as a loanee from Cruzeiro, he had fired the Aflitos-based side out of the second tier with 21 goals to his name.
With Naútico initially having looked to purchase 50% of the player’s ownership for R$3 million, they were told this week that they would need to double their offer and purchase the player outright.
The change of heart appeared to come as Chinese side Shandong Luneng entered the race for his signature.
“Kieza is an extraordinary player but is heading for pastures new. The offer was too good to refuse,” the president told a press conference. “It wasn’t a question of salary because we offered more than he would receive in China.
“It was held back on the part of the investors. What they wanted was unfeasible. If it had been R$3 million, we could have negotiated.”
The player himself also confirmed that he was China-bound via his official Twitter account, although Shandong are yet to be officially named as his future employers.
His arrival, though, could see the end of either Gilberto Macena or Argentine Leonardo Pisculichi as Shandong players, with the club having reached their full limit of foreign players for the coming season.
Source: Yahoo Brasil
