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Bundesliga clubs are keeping a close eye on Chinese football with a view to adding some Chinese players to their squads in the future.
According to Bundesliga CEO Robert Klein, Germany's top flight football league will increase its efforts to become the most popular European league in China, with a focus on market expansion in the world's most populous country.
"We would like to get one, two, or three more Chinese players into the Bundesliga," Klein said.
Things could develop fast as both clubs and Bundesliga "would love to have something happen in the next season or the coming seasons," he added.
The importance of the Chinese market has long been emphasized by Klein. Six of the 18 Bundesliga clubs currently have offices in China.
Many footballing exchanges are ongoing between the two countries, especially in the fields of coaching and training, and Klein also highlighted the Bundesliga's 20-year broadcasting history in China.
"Our research shows we have a huge fan base there," Klein said, adding that the key issue is to get close to fans as much as possible in the digital era.
Klein revealed that the Bundesliga has increased its presence on social media channels in China to satisfy the need and the demand for short video content.
This has resulted in an expansion of the Bundesliga's digital activities, with the league increasingly localizing content for Chinese platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, and Douyin (Tik-Tok).
"We're looking to give opportunities for our Chinese fans to have closer interaction with our clubs and players," the CEO said. "We want to speak to Chinese fans in a way that is relevant to them."
Some interactive content was trialed in the recent "Der Klassiker" between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, as well as the Revierderby between Dortmund and Schalke 04.
A new statistics service - Bundesliga Match Facts, powered by Amazon Web Services - has also been launched, allowing fans to debate the next goal opportunity or evaluate scored goals.
