Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi has said that China "has to be taken very seriously" as the super-rich Chinese Super League continue to flex its financial muscle.
Carlos Tevez, Axel Witsel, Oscar and John Obi Mikel have all made the move to China this month, with Tevez now believed to be the world's highest-paid player on £615,000 a week at Shanghai Shenhua.
Xavi, now with Qatari side Al-Sadd, has also warned that China is a different threat to European football than the MLS, which has attracted the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in recent years.
"[China] now has to be taken very seriously," Xavi told The Sun. "For so long, it's been [the case that] Europe is the only destination for the world's top players.
"China are showing that they mean business and they have the finances to attract the best players in Europe. Already they have great players, but it looks like they are just getting started.
"We have seen some of the best players join the MLS, but that was usually at the end of their career. What China are doing is totally different because they are attracting top players at the peak of their careers. The wages they are able to offer, Europe just can not compete with, and that makes China a very real destination for the best players."
Xavi won eight league titles and four Champions League crowns during a 17-year professional Barcelona career, before departing to join Al Sadd in the summer of 2015.
Matt Law
