China star Zhang Linpeng: My delight at Chelsea contract offer

There could be one last piece of business for Chelsea to wrap up as manager Jose Mourinho admits he isn’t done making moves just yet, with China defender Zhang Linpeng interesting the Premier League champions.

The Blues are now embroiled in a surprisingly public transfer saga with Everton over John Stones, with the Merseyside club rejecting several bids.

The Premier League champions sent a contract on Wednesday and hope to secure the 26-year-old right back before the summer transfer window closes on September 1, Titan said.

‘I’ve worked hard and waited these five or six years for my dream of playing overseas, and finally have recognition from the English Premier League’.

“I’m very happy and very excited to finally have this formal invitation”, Titan24 quoted Zhang as saying.

Linpeng joined Guangzhou in 2010 and has won four Chinese Super League titles since, scoring 13 goals and assisting another 21 in his 144 games for them.

“We learned the fact that Zhang could not play for Chelsea at the first place, because he could not get a working permit in England”. For players from non-European Union countries, only those representing nations who are in the top 50 in Fifa’s rankings qualify for an automatic permit. It means that even if Chelsea do sign the player he will have to be loaned out.

Former Evergrande coach Marcello Lippi once described Zhang as “the best Chinese footballer in the Chinese Super League”, while he is known as Zhangmos in China for his resemblance to Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos.

He can play both at full-back and in the centre of defence.