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

Written by Han Bing. The CSL summer transfer window closed on July 22, 2026. It was a much more subdued affair compared to last year: the number of new foreign imports plunged from 11 to 5, investment in new foreign signings was cut by two-thirds, and total spending dropped by more than 60%. Only 10 out of 16 clubs adjusted their foreign player rosters. Domestic transfers saw a smaller decline in both spending and numbers, but were still trending downward.

At the bottom of the standings, Wuhan Three Towns and Qingdao Hainiu each brought in one foreign and one domestic player, while Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Henan each had only one new signing. Shanghai Port merely signed two "AFC Champions League foreign players." In contrast, teams in the upper half of the table like Qingdao West Coast, Yunnan Yukun, and mid-table Shenzhen Peng City were more active, each adding at least four new players including domestic transfers.

According to Transfermarkt, this summer window's most expensive signing, Cardoso, had a transfer fee of just €1.32 million, similar to the €1.3 million Shanghai Shenhua paid for Asuè last year. It was only 66% of last summer's top signing, Mitriță (€2 million, Zhejiang). Notably, Zhejiang has signed the summer window's most expensive player for two consecutive years, but both investments were €2 million or less, reflecting the overall low investment in foreign players in the CSL in recent years.

The quietness of this summer window is first reflected in the sharp decline in spending on foreign player replacements. Last year, the CSL had three million-euro foreign signings: Mitriță (€2 million, Zhejiang), Asuè (€1.3 million, Shenhua), and Kartsev (€1 million, Shenzhen Peng City). These three accounted for 80% of the total summer investment (€5.37 million). This year, only Cardoso represented a million-euro signing, and total foreign investment was less than €1.58 million, a cliff-like drop. Although Shenzhen Peng City loaned Brazilian center-back Gabriel, valued at €4 million, from Bahia, it was a free loan.

Last summer window, the CSL brought in a total of 12 foreign players, but Kartsev of Shenzhen Peng City was a loan-to-buy, so there were actually 11 new foreign signings. This year, apart from Shanghai Port and Beijing Guoan each signing two "AFC Champions League foreign players," only six new foreign players were actually introduced: Cardoso (Zhejiang), Viana (West Coast), Maranhão (Henan), Tufegdzic (Hainiu), Lottin (Three Towns), and Gabriel (Shenzhen Peng City).

Beijing Guoan replaced Nkoulou with Spajić, Shanghai Port replaced Gabriel with Melendo, Shanghai Shenhua replaced Gaye with Asuè, and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger replaced Graw with Salvador. These four were all returning foreign players registered for the second half of the CSL season. Even counting them, the CSL "imported" only 10 foreign players this summer.

This summer's total CSL investment (€2.02 million) was only 37.6% of last year's, marking a regression to levels seen three years ago. It was only better than 2023 (€1.16 million) and the second lowest since 2011, and the fourth consecutive summer with total investment below €10 million. Only six new foreign players were brought in this summer, and the four replacement registrations were all returning foreign players. The focus instead shifted to the "AFC Champions League foreign players" signed by Guoan and Port for the second half of the AFC Champions League Elite.

Shanghai Port's "AFC Champions League foreign players" include Spanish midfielder Graw, loaned from Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, and Portuguese center-back Campos, who joined on a free transfer from the Ukrainian league. It is clear that Port has focused on strengthening their midfield and defense, hoping to tighten up for the AFC Champions League.

Beijing Guoan signed Democratic Republic of Congo striker Shadrack and German midfielder Duchiak, both free agents. The former has experience in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 and is a former DR Congo international, while the latter previously played for Hertha BSC in the 2. Bundesliga. With these additions, Guoan has strengthened their 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 are more focused. With 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 tournament. However, Shenhua, competing in the AFC Champions League 2, did not sign any "AFC Champions League foreign players," only recalling loaned Asuè to replace Gaye and signing domestic defender Li Songyi to bolster their backline.

The foreign player market was almost entirely driven by the "AFC Champions League foreign players" for attention, and the domestic market was equally quiet. Across the 16 clubs, only 24 domestic players were signed. According to Transfermarkt, only eight of them involved transfer fees: Yu Menghui, Zhang Yufeng, Zhao Jianfei (Shenzhen Peng City), Duan Liuyu, Hu Ruibao (Yunnan Yukun), Qian Yuanfan (Zhejiang), Jin Shiming (West Coast), and Zhang Xiaobin (Three Towns). The remaining 16 joined on loans or as free agents.

The total investment in domestic transfers this summer window was only €576,000, less than 4.5 million RMB. This was a 10.2% decrease from last season (€641,000). Additionally, the number of domestic signings dropped from 25 to 24, showing a downward trend in both spending and quantity.

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