Lucas Barrios Agrees to China Move

Borussia Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios is to leave the club and head east at the end of the season, German newspaper Bild has reported today (h/t goal.com).

The Paraguayan international, who is to join Guangzhou Evergrande, was a regular in the side during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, finding the net regularly and proving to be an integral cog in the machine.

None more so than last term, when his 16 Bundesliga goals brought the league title back to the Westfalenstadion for the first time in almost a decade.

Dortmund's play resulted in a contract extension to 2015, which was partly designed to ward off interest from other clubs that was materialising.

Cast Aside

Chances have been severely limited this season, however, with this season's top-scorer Robert Lewandowski leapfrogging the Argentine-born hit man in the pecking order.

It was reported in January that Barrios was seeking a way out of Germany, but a reported move to Fulham fell through and the Craven Cottage outfit went on to sign Pavel Pogrebnyak on loan until the end of the season instead.

The 27 year old, Bild reports, has penned a four-year deal at Guangzhou, raising a whole host of questions in the process.

Changing Tides?

Slowly but surely footballers are beginning to leave Europe younger, and it isn't just China we're talking about with Major League Soccer in the USA also growing.

Earlier this season we witnessed Nicolas Anelka move to Shanghai Shenhua, a footballer that no doubt still had a lot to offer the Premier League.

So, is it good for football that these previously undiscovered areas are beginning to challenge, whether that be through ambition or finance, or should these players be staying in Europe longer?

After all, throughout my generation at least, Europe has been where every footballer aspires to be.

The hosts of the best leagues and club competitions in the world are in Europe.

Also through attracting a better standard of player, could this have a knock-on effect of raising the standards of those national teams in the future?

Or is it just money men enjoying a hobby?

Finally, how much of a loss will Barrios be to European football?

This is, after all, a footballer that has been linked with top sides in the not-too-distant past.