As January's European transfer window began to swing shut on Monday, clubs in the top two tiers of Chinese football had spent more than 200 million euros ($216 million) collectively on players, according to website transfermarkt, which tracks commercial developments in the sport.

That was more than 60 percent higher than the total they lavished in the winter transfer market last year.

The three highest individual fees in the window so far were all paid by Chinese clubs, transfermarkt's figures show.

According to transfermarkt's figures, in January, Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder Ramires went to Jiangsu Suning for a Chinese Super League record 28 million euros, Hebei China Fortune bought Ivorian striker Gervinho from AS Roma for 18 million euros, and Shanghai Shenhua took Inter Milan's Colombian international Fredy Guarin for 13 million.

Suning, a privately held retail conglomerate that sells appliances at more than 1,600 stores, only bought the Jiangsu team in December, and subsequently renamed it. Hebei China Fortune are owned by a Beijing-based developer of industrial parks, founded by billionaire Wang Wenxue, while Shenhua are owned by Greenland Holding Group, a real estate investment company that focuses on high-rise complexes.

Source: dailymail