Maccabi Tel Aviv captain Eran Zahavi has signed a 30-month contract with Chinese Guangzhou worth $12.5 million. The Chinese team will pay Maccabi record transfer fee of $8 million, the largest ever paid to an Israeli soccer side. He will also earn performance related bonuses including $20, 000 per goal. Zehavi is highest paid player in Israeli soccer.
Guangzhou are mid-table in China’s top flight league. Owners of the team are hoping Zahavi can help them climb towards the top.
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Zahavi, 28, joined Maccabi three years ago. Under the terms of the agreement, his previous club, Hapoel Tel Aviv, will receive $2.5 million of the transfer fee.
In his three seasons with Maccabi, between 2012 and 2015, Zahavi has broke the individual league scoring record that had stood for 61 years.
He scored a phenomenal 98 goals in 117 appearances. In his first season at Maccabi he scored a club record 29 goals.In last season he scored an all-time Israeli league record of 35 goals in 36 league fixtures.
In previous two seasons Zehavi scored 29 and 28 goals respectively. The old individual scoring record of 30 goals was set in 1954-55.
Zehavi dicline Maccabi’s Canadian owner Mitch Goldhar offered Zahavi to double his salary of $1 million per year.
