Andres Iniesta 'Thinking About' Barcelona Future After Enormous Offer From China

Barcelona captain and living legend Andres Iniesta has reportedly received an enormous offer from Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian that Catalan outlet Sport claims is making the veteran think about his Camp Nou future.

It is not clear how likely an exit would be, especially given that Iniesta agreed a new 'lifetime contract' with Barça as recently as October 2017, but Sport claims his offer from China could yield an enormous annual salary of up to €35m.

LLUIS GENE/GettyImages

The eight-time La Liga champion and four-time Champions League winner, who will celebrate his 34th birthday in May, is said to have had initial contact with Tianjin in December.

That was apparently followed by a first meeting in January when it is said to have been made clear by the player that he would consider a move part way through the season. But after that a second meeting yielded the bumper financial incentive.

Sport notes that while Iniesta has 'doubts' about China, he is also aware that he will never get a better offer. The figure would make him one of the world's best players and Barcelona, as they showed with a veteran Xavi in 2015, are unlikely to stand in his way if he's ready to move on.

PAU BARRENA/GettyImages

The European transfer window closed on 31st January, but a deal for Iniesta could still happen as the Chinese window remains open until 28th February. The new 2018 season will then kick off a few days later in early March.

If Iniesta is interested but first wants to see out the 2017/18 campaign with Barcelona, that is also possible as the mid-season transfer window in China opens for four weeks on 18th June.

Javier Mascherano recently traded Camp Nou for Hebei China Fortune, while fellow Spain international Jonathan Viera appears to be on the verge of a £25m move to Beijing Guoan.