Argentina international turns down China for Barca stay

Javier Mascherano has rejected a £39m offer from a Chinese Super League team to remain at Barcelona, according to Mundo Deportivo, via The Daily Mail.

Mascherano, 31, has two years left to run on his current deal at Barcelona and is so committed to the club that he didn’t even think about using the offer from China as a weigh to leverage a better deal with the reigning European champions.

The Argentina international was developed into one of the first names on the team sheet since making the surprise switch from Liverpool in 2010 and wants to add to his 243 appearances for the club rather than accept a mouth-watering payday in Asia.

In fact, Mascherano has featured in more league minutes than the likes of Andres Iniesta (12,819) since his arrival, with only four other Barcelona players racking up more time on the pitch (Mascherano - 13,212).

For more stats on Javier Mascherano, click here to visit his WhoScored player page