February 1, London, Fan Zhiyi, the former captain of China National Soccer Team signed another two-year working contract with the Crystal Palace, one of the first division teams in England.

Fan, who has served in Crystal Palace since 1998, signed a new agreement at 6:00 local time February 1 afternoon, a more preferential one he thought than what he did previously.

Fan has missed three matches owing to the injury in his leg muscles. He said the most attractive term in the new contract is he can transfer to any other club who favors him during the execution of the contract on condition that the club agrees to pay a transfer fee of at least three million pounds.

Before his leg was injured, some clubs in super division expressed their interest in him, including Liverpool, which might explain why Fan in his better shape at that time retained the renewal of the agreement with the Crystal Palace.

As a local media revealed earlier, Fan would be given a weekly salary of 12,000 pounds (about RMB 144,000) under the new contract.

(People's Daily 02/02/01)