Former Kawasaki Frontale forward Renato admitted it was a struggle for him to leave the club, after they announced his transfer to Guangzhou R&F on Friday.

The Brazilian joined Frontale in 2012 and scored a total of 49 goals in 135 appearances, his final strike coming in the recent 2-0 Tamagawa Clasico win over FC Tokyo at Todoroki Stadium.

“My family and I had little time to make a very difficult decision to transfer,” Renato commented through the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League club.

“In any case, I am thankful to everyone who has been involved in my life since coming to Japan.”

The 26-year-old was a constant contributor in Yahiro Kazama’s side this season, netting a total of eight goals over both the first and second stages.