Kiev: Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder and Liverpool target Alex Teixeira has agreed to join Chinese side Jiangsu Suning for a fee of 50 million euros (Dh206 million), the Ukrainian club said in a statement on Friday.

“Shakhtar Donetsk and Jiangsu Suning FC have agreed on all the necessary formalities for the transfer of Alex Teixeira to the Chinese club. The transfer fee for the Brazilian is 50 million euros,” Shakhtar said on its website (www.shaktar.com).

The 26-year-old Teixeira joined Shakhtar in December 2009 and has scored 89 goals in 223 appearances for the club.

“It happened so fast that I still need time to fully comprehend it all. My agent called when I was at the airport on my way to a club training camp,” Teixeira said from Spain, where he was bidding farewell to his former Shakhtar team mates.

“Despite the situation unfolding with such speed, it was not an easy decision to make and I needed to respond quickly,” added Teixeira, who has yet to represent his country at senior level.

“People knew I wanted to stay in Europe and move to the Premier League. Unfortunately, all the offers from English clubs were quite vague, so now I am moving to China and hopes of playing for Brazil have moved a bit further away.” The fee outstrips the 42 million euros paid by a Chinese Super League rivals Guangzhou Evergrande to secure Colombian striker Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid in a bumper deal confirmed on Wednesday.

Teixeira, who was recently linked with a move to Liverpool, is Jiangsu’s second major Brazilian signing in recent weeks after they secured Chelsea midfielder Ramires.

“I have not had a chance to talk to Ramires, so I cannot really say he is a friend of mine. We have not even contacted each other. I just browsed the Internet to learn about the city I am moving to,” Teixeira added of his new team mate and home.

Ramires, who had made just seven Premier League starts this season, cost the Chinese club about £25 million (Dh134 million), the BBC reported.

Chinese teams have been on a spending spree in claiming top players from around the world and more big signings are expected before the local transfer window closes on Feb. 26.

AS Roma striker Gervinho completed a move to Hebei China Fortune FC last week, with leading Premier League names Demba Ba and former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan also moving to China last year.