Corinthians midfielder Elias to stay in Brazil amidst interest from a Chinese club
Midfielder Elias' proposed move the Chinese Super League has fallen through, which has forced him to declare his wish to remain at Corinthians this year. The midfielder would have joined a long list of Brazilians who have decided to move to China this year.
Hebei China Fortune, who were promoted to Chinese football's top tier last year, reportedly tabled a 10 million-euro offer for Elias in December, reports Xinhua.
"It was a very good offer, both for me and for the club, but I don't know what happened," the 30-year-old said on Saturday.
"I have a contract to fulfil. I am at a great club so there's always a tendency for something to appear but my focus is to remain with Corinthians to play in the Copa Libertadores."
Corinthians have already lost influential midfielders Jadson (Tianjin Songjiang) and Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan) to Chinese clubs since wining the 2015 Serie A title last month.
Strikers Vagner Love and Alexandre Pato are others from the Sao Paulo club to be reportedly considering a move to China.