China’s Shenhua football club is poised to sign French striker Mathieu Manset for a half-year 900,000-euro ($A1.1-million) contract, state media said Tuesday, the latest foreign player to join the team.

The deal, expected to be signed soon, would see Manset play alongside French striker Nicolas Anelka, who arrived in China last week to play for Shenhua – the most high-profile foreign footballer ever to sign for the Chinese league.

Manset, 22, is currently on the roster of Championship club Reading and will reportedly be loaned off to Shenhua for six months.

The short-term contract is designed to give Manset a chance to play in the Premier League – the top of the British football league system – next season, the official Shanghai Daily newspaper quoted a Shenhua official as saying.

The Shanghai club declined to comment on Tuesday.

Shenhua has already signed up four other foreign players, including former Chelsea striker Anelka.

The others are Australian Joel Griffiths, Brazilian Moises Moura Pinheiro and Serbian national Mario Bozic, according to Shenhua.

Anelka has also expressed hopes that his former teammate, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, will join him at Shenhua but he said it would be up to management. Shenhua has confirmed it is in talks with Drogba.