Chelsea playmaker Oscar will join Shanghai SIPG when the January transfer window opens in a deal worth £60-million.

The club confirmed the transfer in a statement on Friday.

Chelsea statement on Oscar’s exit:

Chelsea Football Club and Shanghai SIPG have agreed terms for the permanent transfer of Oscar.

The 25-year-old will join the Chinese Super League team at the beginning of the January transfer window. He has been a Chelsea player for four-and-a-half years, helping us lift the Premier League, League Cup and Europa League as well as scooping two Chelsea Goal of the Season awards after stunning strikes against Juventus in 2012, on his full debut, and QPR in 2014.

Skilful and tenacious, Oscar has been highly regarded by fans, players and staff during his time as a Blue, scoring 38 times from 203 Chelsea appearances.

A summer 2012 arrival from Internacional in his native Brazil, Oscar made his debut as a sub away at Wigan before announcing himself with a dipping, bending effort against Antonio Conte’s Juventus at Stamford Bridge.

It was in the Europa League that Oscar picked up his first medal with Chelsea, playing the full 90 minutes of our 2-1 win over Benfica in the final in Amsterdam before becoming a key player under Jose Mourinho, favoured in the number 10 role thanks to his ability to work effectively at both ends of the pitch.

Oscar came off the bench to help us secure our League Cup final victory over Spurs at Wembley in March 2015, with the Premier League title secured at the Bridge in early May. Last season, Oscar netted a brilliant first-half hat-trick in an FA Cup win against MK Dons.

Conte’s arrival in the summer led to a deeper role for Oscar at the beginning of the campaign, but the switch to a 3-4-3 formation in October saw opportunities limited, and he now heads to Shanghai to link up with former Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas.

We thank Oscar for his wonderful service and wish him the very best of luck for the future.