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Hot Transfer Window Gossip: Costa 'keen on China switch', West Ham 'target £20m Sigurdsson'

Tianjin Quanjian. Tricky to pronounce now, but give it a couple of weeks and it will roll off the tongue just like Jiangsu Suning.

The new rich kids on the Chinese Super League block aren’t messing about. Having splashed out some megabucks on Belgian international Axel Witsel last week, they have now made an offer for Chelsea striker Diego Costa that the Telegraph describes as “staggering”.

The broadsheet has calculated that Costa could earn £576,923 a week by swapping the Fulham Road for the northeastern Chinese city on the banks of the Yellow Sea.

Costa has evidently done some similar calculations, because he is currently pretending to have a back injury so that he can spend some time working out how many televisions he could buy on his increased Chinese wage. (The answer is that he could buy literally as many televisions as he wanted.)

In fact on his first day at his new club, Diego might be able to go to the television shop with James Rodriguez, who is also being pursued by Tianjin Quanjian and would be granted a similar disposable income.

The Mirror reports that Rodriguez’s agent – sorry, super agent – Jorge Mendes has met with the president of Tianjin Quanjian (see, it’s already rolling off the tongue) to discuss a transfer for the Real Madrid playmaker that could top £100m.

Pretend back injuries are actually all the rage in this transfer window, with Dimitri Payet also showing one off as he plots his departure from West Ham. The Star says the Frenchman will “invent” an ailment that lasts until he allowed to join his former club Marseille, although they will need to increase their opening offer of £19.1m.

The Hammers, despite saying Payet is not for sale, have already identified his replacements according to the Express, which tips the Irons to make £20m bids for Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson and Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi. Although the latter player might be swiftly taken off the market in light of Costa’s aforementioned (pretend) back injury.

Liverpool are still trying to sign a left-back, but their swoop for Schalke’s Sead Kolasinac will have to wait until the summer, says the Mirror. The German side are apparently refusing to sell the 23-year-old despite interest from the Reds, Arsenal and Juventus. Sounds like they’re waiting for Tianjin Quanjian to make an offer.

Elsewhere, Leicester are set to complete a £15m deal for Middlesbrough midfielder Gaston Ramirez (Leicester Mercury) West Ham target Robert Snodgrass could be lured away from Hull City if the Tigers receive an offer of £10m (Bleacher Report) and West Brom manager Tony Pulis says he has “no idea” if Saido Berahino will sign a new contract with the Baggies or move to Stoke instead (Talksport). Just keep an eye on his Twitter, Tony.

@darlingkevin