Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel as this week reportedly agreed
personal terms with the Dubai-based club in a switch that will end his nine-year
relationship with the Londoners.
Mikel travelled to Dubai after the league season ended in
England and it is widely believed that he is not simply on holiday but also to
discuss contract terms with Al Ain in a sensational switch that could see him join
Ghanaian skipper Asamoah Gyan at the club.
Fenerbahce had been in pole position to sign the UEFA
Champions League winner as the Nigeria international is expected to leave
Stamford Bridge this summer after failing to have much of an impact during
their Premier League title-winning campaign.
Controversial agent John Shittu had earlier insisted that
the 28-year-old will not be joining Al Ain, while admitting that Mikel had a
number of suitors in the UAE including Al-Wahda.
‘Mikel didn’t travel to Dubai to discuss with Al Ain, he
went there on holiday with his girlfriend,” John Shittu told Nigerian based
news24. “I read so many stories that he is joining Al Ain but it’s not true. He
has so many offers from clubs including UAE club Al-Wahda.”
But Obi Mikel’s representative Babawo Mohammed has however
come out to confirm the deal.
“Mikel has agreed
personal terms with Al Ain and it is now left for Chelsea and the Dubai club to
agree on a transfer fee,” Babawo Mohammed told AfricanFootball.com
“He has returned to England to communicate all these to
Chelsea. We just have to wait and see
what Chelsea say in this regard.”
Mikel still has a contract till June 2016 with the English
Premier League champions, but in the past two seasons he has played mainly a
bit part role for ‘The Blues’.
John Obi-Mikel is almost certainly heading out of Chelsea this
summer after losing his place in the first team to Nemanja Matic.
A switch to the United Arab Emirates could also potentially
open up space in the Blues squad and allow them to sign another central
midfielder, with reports in England also suggesting that Juventus’s Paul Pogba,
Wolfsburg’s Luis Gustavo and Barcelona’s Alex Song are on Chelsea’s list to
replace the Nigerian.
The Nigeria international is one of the Blues’ longest
serving players, having been at the club since 2006, but competition for places
in the squad is higher than ever and the 28-year-old currently finds himself
quite a way down the pecking order at the West London club.
