Bakambu transfer a truly taxing affair

Mystery-shrouded move a test of CFA's new levy on foreign imports

SHANGHAI - Cedric Bakambu's protracted $49 million move from Villarreal to Beijing Guo'an is a litmus test of Chinese soccer's 100 percent transfer tax and could have ramifications from Spain to England and beyond.

Two weeks after the France-born Congolese striker declared he was leaving La Liga for the riches of the Chinese Super League, Guo'an has yet to officially announce his signature and the deal is mired in uncertainty and confusion.