Tianjin shackled in Costa chase

New spending curbs on foreigners derail pursuit of Chelsea striker

China's squeeze on big-spending soccer clubs has kiboshed a bid by Tianjin to purchase Diego Costa and a galaxy of other Europe-based stars, club chairman Shu Yuhui told Tianjin Sports TV on Tuesday.

Tianjin had Chelsea striker Costa, Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani, Monaco's Radamel Falcao and Benfica's Raul Jimenez in its sights until authorities announced limits on foreign players and wages, Shu Yuhui said.