Espanyol sign Chinese striker Wu Lei

Madrid: Spanish La Liga club Espanyol on Monday confirmed they have signed Chinese striker Wu Lei from Shanghai SIPG of the Chinese Super League (CSL). Wu Lei, who was the top scorer in the CSL last season, will wear the number 24 shirt at the Barcelona-based club, reports Xinhua news agency. The Espanyol website writes that the club had “been following Wu Lei’s progress for a time”, and that the 27-year-old had also “attracted the interest of many Premier League clubs but decided to accept” the offer from Espanyol. Espanyol, who currently sit 15th in La Liga with 24 points from 21 matches, added that Wu was “one of Espanyol’s most important signings in modern times”. Wu will be presented to the fans and press soon, and the club will hope he quickly finds top form, as Sunday’s 4-2 defeat at home to Real Madrid means they have lost nine of their last 10 league games and now sit just four points above the relegation zone. (IANS)