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| Mikel Obi |
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.
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