Chelsea were robbed, that's the only way to view it. Ramires had over three years left on his contract and, at 28, he was in the prime of a career. However, his form trailed off somewhat, he became little more than a squad player and Chelsea decided the time was right to ship him off to China for around £25 million.
That's about £8 million profit on a player that wasn't really needed. In any kind of business that's a decent deal. However, when you compare it to the one that PSG are just after cutting with Hebei China Fortune, the only thing you can say is that Chelsea were fleeced.
Ezequiel Lavezzi is a damn fine player. He's a bit of a maverick but still, when on form, he's more than capable of holding his own at Champions League level. But here's the thing. He's essentially a free agent, he's out of contract in the summer and can negotiate with whomever he wants at the moment ahead of a move in June. He's also pushing 31.
And yet Hebei China Fortune and their entirely suitable name are just after spending a reported £23.5 million on him. It must be said that the fee is officially undisclosed but that's the price that's doing the rounds and, if true, it's nothing short of ludicrous.
The vast majority of Chinese clubs are owned by businesses who have little previous interest in football. Hebei are owned by a real estate company and it would seem that the regular laws of economics are being thrown out the window by these companies just because they can. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course, it's there money and if they want to help out the blatant charity case that is PSG, all power to them.
For his trouble, Lavezzi will pick up a wage of somewhere in the region of €25 million over the course of his two year contract. Decent money if you can get it and that's pretty much on par with what someone of his standing can expect to head to a less than competitive league (on an international standing). However, that £23.5 million transfer fee is completely illogical and we can only assume it's confirmation that football as we know it is coming to an end.
