Landry Dimata has completed a loan move from Pafos FC to Chinese Super League side Chongqing Tonglianglong, joining the club from the Cypriot outfit on 2026-02-05. The centre-forward’s temporary deal is scheduled to run until 2026-12-31, with the Belgian/DR Congo attacker set to spend the remainder of the calendar year in China.
The switch is registered as a loan transfer, with no permanent fee disclosed, while Dimata carries a current market value of €2.00m. The move takes the 28-year-old out of Cyprus’ top flight and into the Super League, where Chongqing Tonglianglong compete, marking another chapter in a career that has already taken him across several European leagues.
Dimata arrives in China from Pafos FC, where he had been playing in the Cyprus League after signing from Turkish club Samsunspor. His latest move continues a pattern of mobility in recent seasons: from Espanyol in Spain’s LaLiga structure to NEC Nijmegen in the Dutch Eredivisie on loan, then to Türkiye with Samsunspor, and most recently to Cyprus. The loan to Chongqing Tonglianglong extends that sequence, adding the Chinese Super League to the list of competitions in which he has appeared.
Born in Mbuji-Mayi and holding both Belgian and DR Congo nationality, Dimata is listed primarily as a centre-forward and operates as an attacking focal point, standing 1.85m tall and preferring his right foot. Over the course of his career he has represented clubs in Belgium (Standard Liège youth teams, KV Oostende, RSC Anderlecht), Germany (VfL Wolfsburg), Spain (RCD Espanyol), the Netherlands (NEC Nijmegen), Türkiye (Samsunspor) and Cyprus (Pafos FC). The latest transfer means he will now be playing abroad in Asia, potentially competing regularly in the Chinese Super League instead of in his home country’s domestic competitions.
The loan structure also opens up the possibility of a change in his contractual status at the end of the spell. According to the current registration, Dimata is due to return from Chongqing Tonglianglong to Pafos FC on 2026-12-31 at the end of the loan period. Depending on how Pafos and the player proceed beyond that date, there is scope for further movement in the market, including the potential for him to become a free agent if no subsequent agreement is reached.
Dimata’s market value trajectory has fluctuated over the years. It climbed as high as €8.00m during his early spell with Wolfsburg, then stabilised around the €6–7m mark while at Anderlecht before gradually declining in subsequent seasons. Recent valuations show him at €2.00m during his time at Pafos FC, underlining that Chongqing Tonglianglong are acquiring an experienced forward whose value is now significantly lower than at his peak but who still commands a seven-figure estimate.
His transfer history reflects sustained exposure to top-flight environments. Dimata broke through at KV Oostende, earning a move to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. He later returned to Belgium with Anderlecht, then moved on loan and eventually permanently to Espanyol, experiencing both Spanish football and a loan stint in the Netherlands with NEC Nijmegen. A permanent switch to Samsunspor in Türkiye followed in 2023, before he joined Pafos FC in 2025 and now heads to China on loan.
For Chongqing Tonglianglong, the addition of a 28-year-old centre-forward with experience in multiple European leagues offers both tactical and commercial upside. For Dimata, the confirmed loan marks another step in an increasingly global career and could prove decisive when his contract situation is reassessed after 2026-12-31.
