Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini leaves door open to future China switch

Marouane Fellaini appears open to joining international colleague Axel Witsel in the Chinese Super League (CSL) at some stage in the future, although for now remains committed to Manchester United.

Witsel became the latest high-profile Europe-based footballer to be lured to the Far East in January after swapping Zenit Saint Petersburg for Tianjin Quanjian on a lucrative three-year deal said to be worth in the region of £16m ($20.5m). Fellow Belgian midfielder Fellaini was linked with the same club two months later, with manager Fabio Cannavaro claiming he was offered the chance to sign the often-maligned 29-year-old but told his agent that he was looking for a "different type of player".

Fellaini is on record claiming that a move to China is not a priority at present and acknowledges that such a transfer would likely spell the end of his 74-cap Belgium career.

However, he is definitely not ruling out the possibility of one day following the likes of Witsel, Carlos Tevez, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Jackson Martinez, Graziano Pelle and Odion Ighalo to the CSL.

"Why not in the future? I can not say it now, I'm a Manchester United player. But why not?" he said during an interview with VTM News.

A divisive figure at Old Trafford often scapegoated for the team's failures, Fellaini, red card in the Manchester derby aside, has played an important role under Jose Mourinho and appeared 47 times across all competitions during the Portuguese's maiden campaign in charge. He scored four goals during that period, including a vital header against Celta Vigo that helped secure United's passage through to the Europa League final in Stockholm.

Super Lig outfit Trabzonspor have also been credited with an interest in Fellaini amid reports that they are set to submit a bid during the upcoming transfer window, although the player is evidently eager to continue to repay the faith shown in him by Mourinho.

"When I feel that people trust me, I'm prepared to do everything," he told HLN.be last week. "If I have to break my foot for him I'll do it. That's me. Even when I'm in pain, I play."

Fellaini was brought to United by former Everton boss David Moyes for a £27.5m fee in 2013, signing a four-year contract that included an option of a further 12 months. The club confirmed in January that they had triggered the clause to pick up that extra year, meaning he is currently under contract until the summer of 2018.