China's Olympic football team captain, Chen Tao, has threatened to retire at an early age if his hard-line club refuses to allow his transfer.

 

Chen's strong warning came on Wednesday after Changsha Jinde priced him at 13 million yuan in the transfer market, an astronomical price tag that's expected to hold back biddings and force the promising star to stay with the team.

 

A long injury break forced the talented attacker onto the bench for most of last season, during which the Italian Serie A side Genoa eyed off the player and invited him for a trial training session.

 

But the offer was denied by his club, which upset Chen and made him resolute to leave.

 

The fray escalated recently after Chen contacted Henan Jianye about a possible future at their club. The talks irritated the Changsha side who condemned it on the grounds that it undermined the team's regulations.

 

An arbitration has been arranged by the Chinese Football Association on Thursday to decide on the player's fate.

 

(CRI.cn December 27, 2007)