Carlos Strandberg has completed a move from Turkish side Hatayspor to Chinese Super League club Qingdao Hainiu, joining the club on a free transfer. The 29-year-old centre-forward arrives with a current market value of €700,000 and has signed a deal running from 2026-02-03 to 2026-02-03.
The switch takes the Sweden- and Mozambique-eligible striker out of Turkey’s 1. Lig and into China’s top flight, where Qingdao Hainiu compete in the Super League. With the deal concluded as a free transfer, Hatayspor receive no fee, allowing Hainiu to add an experienced, mobile No. 9 without a transfer outlay beyond wages and bonuses.
Strandberg, born in Göteborg and standing at 1.87m, joins as a specialist centre-forward, listed primarily in the attacking line and favouring his left foot. His journey to China adds another chapter to a career that has already taken him through Sweden, Russia, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye, underlining his profile as a well-travelled striker accustomed to adapting to new leagues and styles.
Before leaving Hatayspor, Strandberg’s market value had been on a downward trajectory after peaking at €2.8 million during his prolific spell at Abha Club in Saudi Arabia. At Hatayspor, successive updates saw his valuation slide from €2.3m to €700k, reflecting form, age and market conditions. Yet Qingdao Hainiu clearly judge that there is still significant value in his experience and physical profile at centre-forward.
Strandberg’s path to this move began in Sweden with BK Häcken’s youth teams, progressing from the U17s to the U19s and then the senior side. From there he earned a transfer to CSKA Moscow, one of Russia’s leading clubs, where he was loaned out to Ural Yekaterinburg and later to AIK in Sweden. A series of moves followed: Club Brugge in Belgium, a loan to KVC Westerlo, then back to Scandinavia with Malmö FF and a spell at Örebro SK, before his successful run in the Gulf with Al-Hazem SC and Abha Club, and later Al-Sailiya SC in Qatar.
Those years in Russia’s Premier League, the Belgian Pro League, Allsvenskan, the Saudi Pro League, the Qatar Stars League and Turkey’s 1. Lig have given him a broad tactical education. He has operated both as a target man and as a more mobile forward, leading the line in possession-based sides like Malmö and more direct, counter-attacking teams in the Gulf.
Internationally, Strandberg’s dual connection to Sweden and Mozambique adds an extra layer of interest to his move east, even if this transfer is driven purely by club football. Supporters in both countries have watched his club career develop almost entirely abroad, and the switch to China continues that pattern of playing outside his birthplace.
For Qingdao Hainiu, securing a striker of his profile without a transfer fee is a calculated attempt to add proven experience in front of goal while limiting financial risk. For Strandberg, the Chinese Super League offers another major platform, and this confirmed move to Qingdao could yet prove decisive in shaping the late prime of his career.
