Chinese clubs are reportedly pushing hard to prise Andres Iniesta away from Barcelona in January.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Iniesta has received “dizzying and almost irresistible” offers from China for the past 18 months, as well as minor proposals from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the US.
However, the newspaper assures the midfielder will not follow in the footsteps of Javier Mascherano, who is expected to join Hebei Fortune, coached by former Real Madrid boss Manuel Pellegrini.
Iniesta has played in every Liga and Champions League match when he has been fit this season, whereas Mascherano lost his place to Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti in central defence.
The 33-year-old became the first Blaugrana player in history to sign a lifetime contract two months ago, but it allowed him to consider his future at the end of each season.
MD explains Iniesta has “always left the door open to playing in a less-demanding League” but notes he “doesn’t want to talk about anything other than Barca” for now.
The Spain veteran is described as “a crowd-pleaser” in China, having been welcomed to Chongqing, a town with 30m inhabitants, last summer, while the country is the biggest exporter of his Bodega Iniesta wines.