The transfer window isn't officially open as of yet, but Demba Ba may well be involved in one of the most bizarre transfer deals of the summer.
The Senegalese striker, who was relatively successful for a period in the Premier League - having scored seven goals in 12 appearances while on loan at West Ham for Hoffenheim, is contracted to Shanghai Shenhua but it appears as though he may be on the move in strange circumstances.
Ba is most fondly remembered by English football fans for his stint with Newcastle, where he formed a productive partnership with compatriot Papiss Cisse and notched 17 goals in the 2011/12 season as Alan Pardew's charges narrowly missed out on a place in the Champions League.
Image: PA
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Ba continued his form into the following campaign and got a move to Chelsea mid-season. Though he did score his fair share of crucial goals in his stint, Ba struggled to establish himself as the first-choice option for the striker berth at Stamford Bridge, and left the club for Besiktas in a €6 million 2014.
Image: PA
The 32-year old went goal-crazy in his only season in Turkey, netting 23 goals in 39 appearances before the lure of the Chinese Super League came into play, and Ba put pen to paper with Shanghai Shenhua and won individual awards such as the league's most valuable player and top scorer.
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His career was threatened only last year when his leg twisted horribly in a game against Shanghai SIPG on 17 July and Ba suffered devastating leg break.
After successful surgery and a full recovery, Ba returned to Besiktas on loan in January and made two appearances as the club lifted the Turkish Super Lig title.
With the loan spell coming to an end though, Portuguese outlet Ojogo are reporting that Ba could join Portuguese outfit Desportivo Aves on loan ahead of their first season back in the Portuguese top flight after securing promotion from the second tier.
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The report explains that there is a link between both Shanghai Shenhua and Desportivo, as the two clubs have a partnership which will see an academy built in Portugal for Chinese footballers, and that is how this loan move for Ba could come about.
Image: PA
It's noted that Ba's wages, said to be around €4 million a year, would be completely covered by the player's parent club.
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Meanwhile Turkish outlet Fanatik say that Besiktas want to recruit Ba for another season as they do not want to pay Porto 10 million euros for Vincent Aboubakar, who was also on loan for the 2016/17 campaign.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: newcastle, Chelsea, Demba Ba, Besiktas, West Ham