After an unsuccessful trial with Lille, he then joined Lyon's youth academy in April 2014, signing a two-year contract.

[7] He scored three goals in 15 appearances in the 2016 season as Tianjin won the League One title and promotion to the top tier.

[8] On 1 April 2017, Zhang made his Super League debut in a 1–0 home win against Henan Jianye, coming on for Wang Yongpo in the 77th minute.

[17] Zhang was linked to fellow Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande to rejoin Fabio Cannavaro in February 2018.

[18] However, he eventually stayed at the club following a disagreement regarding a three-way transaction between Tianjin Quanjian, Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Shenhua.

[21] On 7 February 2019, Zhang transferred to fellow top-tier side Guangzhou Evergrande after Quanjian Group was accused of illegal affairs.