Yakubu set to join Guangzhou R&F in days

 GUANGZHOU, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Blackburn and Nigerian striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni is set to complete his move to Guangzhou R&F very soon, a top official of the Chinese Super League side said on Thursday.

"The deal is almost done as he has passed his physical. We will make official announcement in days," Guangzhou R&F vice¹ president Lu Yi told Xinhua.

Yakubu, 29, arrived in Guangzhou on Monday night to finalize² the proceedings³ of his transfer.

The Nigerian admitted that he knew little about the Chinese league, saying former Chelsea duo Nicolas Anelka and Diedier Drogba played a part in his decision to come to China.

"To be frankly⁴, I hadn't watched a single game of Chinese league in England, but recently it has been a hot topic since the acquisition of Nicolas Anelka and Didier Droba," Yakubu said.

"Some club in West Asia has offered me an even bigger deal than Guangzhou, but I noticed more and more high profile players are joining China. This has given me confidence," he added.

Less famous than the former Chelsea duo, Yakubu has been prolific⁵ as well. He scored 114 goals in 10 years in English leagues since he joined Portsmouth in 2002. He has been a regular for the Nigerian national team since 2000 and scored 21 goals in 54 appearances.

Yakbu said he is confident to became the top scorer of the Chinese super league although this season is halfway⁶.

"I will score at least 15 goals for the club, even though I only got 15-20 games to play this season," he said.

Guangzhou R&F are currently fourth in the Chinese Super League table. The club was reported to offer the Nigerian a yearly salary of 5 million Euros plus a bonus based on performance. But the club refused to comment on the report.

"The most important Yakubu has been our first choice, we believe he can be more successful than Drogba in China," Lu said.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

3 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

4 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

5 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。

6 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。