Chelsea’s Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel is considering his future in the game, as a selection of Chinese soccer clubs have shown interest in the player.
The Super Eagles stalwart has decided to halt contract renegotiations at his London club, which he has represented since 2006, while he considers the options that are on the table from a few Chinese Super League sides who are keen to get his signature.
Mikel’s current contract at Stamford Bridge runs until the end of the 2016-17 season, and the 28-year-old is reportedly in talks to extend that deal.
The recent trend of players with vast European club experience moving to Chinese clubs is set to continue. The most recent top African player to have ditched a top European club in favour of a lucrative deal in China was Ivorian star Gervinho.
The Elephants player left Italian Serie A club Roma to complete a move to Hebei China Fortune FC in the Chinese Super League. The deal is worth a reported $19.6 million, with an additional $1m payable by the Chinese club to Roma depending on the performances of the club in the Chinese top flight.
China Calling
Mikel may follow in Gervinho’s footsteps at the end of the current season, if his agent and one of the potential suitors can come to a deal that the Nigerian cannot miss out on. The teams in question were not named.
Mikel’s agent, John Shittu, has revealed that talks with Chelsea have been ongoing, but his client will wait until the end of the campaign before deciding on his future.
“Chelsea have approached him for an extension of his contract but he said after the season he’ll decide,” Shittu said, according to AllNigeriaSoccer. “He has so many teams interested in him, almost three clubs in China want him.”
Mikel recently scored for the Blues in their UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg clash against Paris Saint-Germain in Paris, which ended 2-1 in favour of the French club.
His away goal could have proved decisive, but in the second leg Chelsea failed to win at home, and an aggregate 4-2 defeat saw them knocked out of the tournament before the quarter-final stage.
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