Belgium international midfielder Axel Witsel has hired lawyers to speak with his club Tianjin Quanjian following days of confusion over his release clause, according to reports.
It had been claimed that German giants Borussia Dortmund were willing to pay Witsel's €20m release clause ahead of the season, and an offer had even been submitted to acquire the midfielder this summer.
However, the Chinese club rejected that a release clause even existed in the player's contract, instead choosing to offer Witsel to Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea to recoup as much money as possible on their investment from 2017.