Shanghai SIPG in Record $61 Million Bid for Brazil's Hulk

By Ned Kelly

Word on the football wires is that Shanghai SIPG are about to announce the 55 million euro (USD61 million) signing of Brazil international Hulk from Russian side Zenit St Petersburg, breaking the Chinese Super League transfer record.

The 29-year-old, real name Givanildo Vieira de Sousa, will reportedly receive an annual salary of 20 million euros.

The move comes with SIPG failing to win in the last five rounds of the Chinese Super League, and pressure mounting on Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

While the the team have reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League, only qualification to the competition again next year is acceptable to club owners. Eriksson has also been criticized for his “inflexible player substitution strategies.”

SIPG, last year’s CSL runner-up, drew 1-1 with Tianjin Teda at Shanghai Stadium on Saturday, and sits fourth in the 16-team league on 24 points - 12 points behind leader Guangzhou Evergrande and five behind third placed Jiangsu Suning, and a Champions League qualification spot.

SIPG's next game is on Wednesday night away to Guangzhou R&F in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The winners of that tournament also qualify for the AFC Champions League, and defeat for SIPG could see Eriksson's days numbered.

Making way for Hulk at SIPG could be either Jean Evrard Kouassi of the Ivory Coast or Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan. Gyan has missed much of the season through injury, and would be the fans' choice to depart.

The 55 million euro transfer fee would make Hulk the most expensive player in the Chinese league, moving ahead of Alex Teixeira’s 45 million Euro move from Shaktar Donetsk to Jiangsu Suning in February.

Zenit St Petersburg had previously rejected a 30 million euro bid, but are said to have agreed to accept money in the region of 55 million euro, the same amount they paid for Hulk to Portuguese side FC Porto four years ago.

Hulk has played 147 games for Zenit St Petersburg scoring 74 goals and is credited with 60 assists.

So why is Givanildo Vieira de Sousa, who has also made 46 appearances and scored 11 goals for Brazil, called the Hulk? Look no further than Wikipedia:

He is strongly built for a footballer and acquired his nickname due to his likeness to the actor Lou Ferrigno who played the Incredible Hulk on The Incredible Hulk television show in the 1970s...

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