In the early hours today Beijing time, Inter Milan officially announced that Liu Jun, Vice President of Suning Sports, has been appointed as the club’s acting CEO. He will be based permanently in the Milan office, overseeing and managing Inter’s day-to-day operations. Italian media see this as a sign of China’s full takeover of the club. But what exactly is Liu Jun’s track record? Let’s follow Cricket Exchange for a closer look at some of his most talked-about transfer deals during his tenure as general manager of Jiangsu Sainty.
One of Liu Jun’s most legendary moves was the highly controversial transfer of Sun Ke. For Tianjin Quanjian fans, that deal was downright awkward—it earned them the title of “biggest sucker in Chinese Super League history.” But for Liu Jun, it was a masterstroke in his professional management career. On June 18, 2015, Jiangsu Sainty announced Sun Ke’s transfer to Tianjin Teda for a whopping 66 million RMB, setting a new record for a domestic transfer fee at the time. However, Teda unexpectedly refused to accept the player. Their technical director, Chen Jingang, stated before the official signing that Sun Ke and fellow national star Wu Xi were too expensive. “Their value is 10 times that of our highest-paid local player Zhou Haibin. How can that not destabilize our wage structure?”
In response, Quanjian Group chairman Shu Yuhui—who owned 50% of Teda—blamed the club for not honoring their agreement to hand over full management rights. As a result, Quanjian withdrew and acquired second-tier club Tianjin Songjiang instead. But another twist followed: Songjiang had already filled its roster, and Sun Ke didn’t want to drop to China League One. So Quanjian arranged a temporary return to Jiangsu on loan. Liu Jun revealed in an interview with Chengdu Business Daily that the loan was free, and most of Sun Ke’s salary was still paid by Quanjian. Jiangsu covered only a small portion under its internal wage cap.
Cricket Exchange also revisits another classic case—Deng Zhuoxiang. Once hailed as a national hero for his stunning free-kick goal against France and his breakout performance against South Korea, Deng’s career nosedived due to injuries. While at Shandong Luneng, he was benched, but Liu Jun stepped in and brought Deng to Jiangsu, giving him a chance to resurrect his career. Although Deng had some highlights, injuries continued to hinder his progress. In February 2015, Shanghai Shenhua suddenly announced they were signing Deng for nearly 10 million RMB—despite his shaky form. That deal sparked controversy, but Liu Jun’s instincts were once again spot on: Deng ended up playing just 98 minutes over two seasons, most of it spent injured.
Another stroke of genius came in December 2012, when Liu Jun signed rising star Wu Xi from Shanghai Shenhua for 15 million RMB. It was a bargain. Within four years, Wu’s value skyrocketed to an estimated 90 million RMB, on par with global stars like Franck Ribéry, according to Transfermarkt. Jiangsu chose to retain Wu, renewing his contract for four years on a top-tier salary.
Back in 2010, when Changsha Ginde was relegated, Liu Jun quickly pounced, snapping up Ren Hang, Wang Guanyu, and Liu Jianye for just 7 million RMB. Liu Jianye was already a national team regular, while Ren Hang was a promising U23 player. That move proved crucial—both players became pillars of Jiangsu’s 2012 CSL runner-up finish and 2013 Super Cup victory. Later, Ren Hang used his rising status to negotiate a high signing bonus from Hebei China Fortune, but Jiangsu still received a 50 million RMB development fee.
Cricket Exchange analysts suggest that for Inter Milan to reclaim its former glory, a transfer-savvy executive like Liu Jun could be a key asset. The real question now is: can the “Black Shop King” of the Chinese Super League continue his high-buy, low-sell magic in Europe’s fiercely competitive transfer market, going toe-to-toe with the best sporting directors in the world? Only time will tell.