The signing of Chinese forward Wu Lei has been an important boost to the finances of Barcelona-based football club Espanyol, according to website Portal23.

The site reveals that the club's finances will see record numbers for the current 2019-20 season, with a valuation of 131 million euros (145 million U.S. dollars) and a profit of 20.7 million euros.

Although Espanyol's healthy financial state can in large part be attributed to the sales of defender Mario Hermoso for 12.5 million euros and Borja Iglesias for 28.1 million euros over the summer, the arrival of Wu Lei at the club in January is also a factor in the club's good economic health.

Espanyol are predicted to earn 14.77 million euros for publicity and commercial income for the current season, a 37 percent year-on-year increase from last season. Meanwhile, merchandizing income has also risen 19.7 percent, with replica kit sales passing the one million euro mark for the first time in the club's history.

Portal23 highlights that the majority of the shirts that have been sold this season have Wu Lei's name on the back, and that many of them have been sold to Chinese tourists in Barcelona.

Espanyol finished seventh in La Liga last season, qualifying for this season's Europa League. Although the club has already assured itself of its place in the next stage of that competition, continental qualification has affected the club's league form, and Espanyol currently lie second from bottom of La Liga with just eight points from the first 13 matches of the campaign.

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