China's Sun to join Man City in record deal
( 2002-02-27 11:15 ) (7 )

Chinese soccer international Sun Jihai has been very near to sign his contract offered by England First Division club Manchester City, an unofficial soccer website of the club said yesterday.

Chinese international defender Sun Jihai is to join English first division club Manchester City in a record transfer deal for a Chinese player, state media said on Wednesday.

City, second in the table and in a good position to win promotion to the premier league at the end of this season, agreed to pay Sun's former club Dalian Shide two million pounds (US$2.83 million dollars), the official China Daily said.

Sun, 24, expected to play a key role in China's World Cup debut appearance in South Korea and Japan in May and June, will earn 650,000 pounds a year, the newspaper said.

City, who are managed by former England coach Kevin Keegan, are eight points behind first division leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers but have three games in hand.

This will be Sun's second stint in England.

Crystal Palace, then of the premier league, signed Sun for 500,000 pounds in 1998 but his Chinese club, facing relegation, later bought him back for 800,000 pounds.