When a League of Legends team changed hands for a shade over $1 million it made big headlines in the West. But in China, the signing fee for just one player may soon make that seem like pocket change.
Rumors out of China are putting Jian “Uzi” Zihao, the current AD Carry for OMG, at the center of a transfer bidding war, according to a report on TheScoreEsports. Current bids are said to be in excess of 50,000,000RMB. That’s about $7.85 million.
OMG have previously said that the player’s contract buyout clause was a seemingly unreachable figure, but Royal Club and Invictus Gaming appear to be determined to secure the player’s services.
If the transfer does end up going through at that kind of price it will eclipse not only the transfer fee for any other player in esports history, it will be more than any whole team has been sold for in League of Legends. If the chatter in China turns out to be true, this could be a landmark signing for League of Legends.
Take the news with a grain of salt. But considering League of Legends’ rapid growth—28 million people watched the World Championships in 2014, more than watched the World Series—it’s hardly unbelievable that transfer fees for its best players may soon approach those of traditional athletes.
Image via Riot Games
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