The Chinese Super League summer transfer window closes, with "AFC Champions League foreign players" taking center stage

Written by Han Bing On July 22, the 2026 CSL summer transfer window closed. Compared to last year, it was much more subdued: new foreign imports dropped from 11 to 5, expenditure on new foreigners shrank by two-thirds, and total investment tumbled by over 60%. Only 10 out of 16 CSL teams made changes to their foreign players. Domestic transfers saw a smaller decrease in both spending and count but followed the same downward trend.

At the bottom of the standings, Three Towns and Hainiu each added one foreign and one domestic player, while Jinmen Tiger and Henan each had just one new signing. Port only brought in two "AFC Champions League foreign players." In contrast, upper-half sides West Coast and Yukun, as well as mid-table Peng City, made more aggressive moves, with at least four new arrivals each (including domestic players).

Transfermarkt data shows: this summer's top transfer, Cardoso, cost only 1.32 million euros, similar to Shenhua's Asue last year, and just 66% of last summer's top transfer Mitritsa (2 million euros, Zhejiang). Notably, Zhejiang has been the summer window's biggest spender for two consecutive years, but investments remain at or below 2 million euros, highlighting the persistent slump in CSL summer foreign spending.

This summer's quietness is first evident in the sharp drop in spending on foreign replacements. Last year, the CSL had three million-euro foreign investments: Mitritsa (2m, Zhejiang), Asue (Shenhua, 1.3m), and Kaltsev (Peng City, 1m), accounting for 80% of the total summer outlay (5.37m). This year, only Cardoso reached the million-euro mark, with total foreign investment under 1.58 million euros—a cliff-like decline. Although Peng City loaned Brazilian center-back Gabriel, valued at 4 million euros, from Bahia, it was a free loan.

Last summer, the CSL brought in 12 foreign players, but since Kaltsev's deal was a loan-to-buy, there were actually 11 new foreign signings. This year, aside from Port and Guoan each signing two "AFC Champions League foreign players," only six new foreigners were introduced: Cardoso (Zhejiang), Viana (West Coast), Maranhão (Henan), Tufegdzic (Hainiu), Lote (Three Towns), and Gabriel (Peng City).

Guoan replaced Nkololo with Spajic, Port replaced Gabriel with Melendo, Shenhua replaced Gaye with Asue, and Jinmen Tiger replaced Grau with Salvador. These four are all veteran foreigners re-registering for the second half of the CSL season. Even including them, the total number of "imported" foreigners this summer is only 10.

This year's CSL summer total investment (2.02 million euros) is only 37.6% of last year's, representing a regression of three years. It is better only than 2023 (1.16 million), the second lowest since 2011, and the fourth consecutive year with summer investment below 10 million euros. This summer saw only six new foreign players, with the four substitute registrations being old foreigners. The spotlight instead shifted to the "AFC Champions League foreign players" signed by Guoan and Port for the second half of the AFC Champions League Elite.

Port's "AFC Champions League foreign players" are one Spanish midfielder, Grau, on loan from Jinmen Tiger, and one Portuguese center-back, Campos, who joined from the Ukrainian league on a free transfer. Clearly, Port has strengthened its midfield and defense, aiming to tighten up in the AFC Champions League.

Guoan signed Congolese center-forward Shadrack and German midfielder Duchiak, both on free transfers. The former has Bundesliga and Ligue 1 experience and is a former Congolese international, while the latter previously played for Hertha Berlin in the 2. Bundesliga. This boosts Guoan's attacking power and midfield depth.

The arrival of four "AFC Champions League foreign players" shows that CSL clubs still have some ambition, at least they will be more serious. In the upcoming AFC Champions League Elite, Guoan and Port can theoretically field a starting lineup with seven foreign players, not only to compete for prize money but also to secure the CSL's quota in the competition. However, Shenhua, which is playing in the AFC Champions League 2, did not bring in any "AFC Champions League foreign players"; they simply recalled loanee Asue to replace Gaye and signed domestic player Li Songyi to bolster the defense.

The foreign player market is almost entirely driven by the spotlight on "AFC Champions League foreign players," while the domestic market is also sluggish. The 16 teams collectively brought in only 24 players. According to Transfermarkt, only eight of them—Yu Menghui, Zhang Yufeng, Zhao Jianfei (Peng City), Duan Liuyu, Hu Ruibao (Yukun), Qian Yuanfan (Zhejiang), Jin Shiming (West Coast), and Zhang Xiaobin (Three Towns)—incurred transfer fees, while the other 16 joined on loan or as free agents.

The total domestic transfer investment this summer window was only 576,000 euros, less than 4.5 million RMB. That is a 10.2% drop from last season (641,000 euros). Additionally, the number of domestic transfers decreased by one from 25, showing a downward trend in both spending and quantity.

Port, Taishan, Henan, and Tongliang Long did not sign any domestic players. Among the limited other domestic moves, young players returning from overseas leagues drew attention. Rongcheng's 21-year-old winger Chen Shihan (Belgium), Guoan's goalkeeper Liu Shaoyang (USA), Yukun's Cui Qi (Spain), West Coast's Jin Shiming (Japan), and Xie Chuyun (Germany) all returned to the CSL from lower-tier overseas leagues.