Chelsea striker holds firm on wage demands, stalling Chinese Super League move — report

The Loïc Rémy exit rumors had died down a bit following the end of the January transfer window — links with Leicester City and Newcastle United amounting to very little in the end — but with China supposedly also interested and the Super League's transfer window only closing on February 26, the rumors were always liable to come back strong at some point.

And while these aren't exactly rumors of the strongest kind (Le10 Sport hasn't been the most reliable source over the years, to say the least), they do fit the narrative of Rémy perhaps looking to move on from his Chelsea backup role.  While a move to China probably won't help his prospects as far as the French national team is concerned, neither will sitting on the bench at Chelsea.  Or in the treatment room, as he's had the habit of doing so as well.  In which case, I suppose it wouldn't be the worst idea to literally take the money and run off to join Chairman Xi's state-sponsored football revolution.

Accordingly, Le10's report claims that Rémy's holding firm on his wage demands with Shanghai Shenhua, with Didier Drogba's former club offering "only" €7m (2x what Rémy's making at Chelsea) and the striker holding out for €9m annual salary.  Meanwhile, Chelsea's compensation would be €15m, which, compared to some of the other moves made this winter, would almost be a bargain.

This is most certainly a seller's market, with Rémy holding most of the cards.  Considering that we held on to him during January (when there were undoubtedly offers for his services), we're probably in no hurry to sell either at this point.  Your move, Shenhua.  (Or whoever else is interested — he was linked with Hebei Fortune recently as well.)