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China's Li Tie signs three-year deal with Everton
2003-08-12
LONDON/BEIJING - Chinese midfielder Li Tie has signed a three-year contract with Everton, the premier league club announced on Tuesday.The 25-year-old arrived at Goodison Park on loan from Liaoning Bodao in July 2002 and became a key part of the Everton team, making 29 premier league appearances. His loan contract ran out on June 30 and he will now be able to play against Arsenal on Saturday in Everton's opening match of the 2003-04 season. Everton, who finished seventh last season, did not reveal financial details of Li Tie's contract, which ended months of uncertainty over whether he would stay on. But the Shenyang-based Liaoning club told Reuters on Tuesday that Everton had agreed to pay 1.2 million pounds ($1.93 million). "It's a permanent transfer," general manager Zhang Shuguang said. "We welcome the decision made by Everton. We attribute the success of this deal to Li Tie's persistence, his agents' efforts and support from Chinese enterprises. "Some domestic clubs were willing to offer 20 million yuan ($2.42 million) to sign Li Tie. We didn't accept it as Li Tie is willing to develop his career in Britain," Zhang said. The two sides had not been able to reach agreement since May. State media said a real estate company based in the southern province of Guangdong, Dynatown, had joined the deal and loaned money to Everton to sign Li Tie. A company official declined to disclose details. Reuters
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