Bahia confirms sale of striker to Chinese football.

Rafael Ratão is permanently transferred to Shanghai Shenhua FC.

Forward Rafael Ratão has a new home. As anticipated by Donpredict!, the 30-year-old player will permanently join Shanghai Shenhua FC, a first division team in China, after returning from a loan spell at Cerezo Osaka in Japan. Bahia was interested in renegotiating the player’s transfer, as his contract ran until December of this year.

Even with his move to Chinese football, Bahia retains 10% of Ratão’s economic rights in case of future transfers. He has already been announced by the Chinese team with the slogan “The Big Mouse has arrived at Shanghai Shenhua,” referring to his nickname.

Ratão returned from his loan spell at Cerezo Osaka in early December and his future at Bahia remained uncertain, with the club intending to sell him. The striker had a successful spell in Japan, scoring 23 goals in 44 games and starting in the vast majority of matches. He was also Cerezo Osaka’s top scorer in the J-League (Japanese first division), with 18 goals and three assists in 36 games.

Signed in the second transfer window of 2023 from Toulouse, France, he arrived to be another versatile option for the attack, capable of playing as a number 9 or even a winger. Ratão, however, struggled to secure a starting position in Rogério Ceni’s team and failed to convince the Bahia fans.

The player made a total of 54 appearances for the tricolor team, scoring ten goals and providing four assists.