Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr also
confirmed Mikel, whose contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of
the season, was in talks with Marseille.
struggling French Ligue 1 side
Marseille may have succeeded in convincing out-of-favour Chelsea
midfielder Mikel Obi to shun big-money move to the Chinese Super League
to help revive the club.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank
McCourt, who bought Marseille in October, had promised to invest
heavily in the January transfer window to help manager Rudi Garcia
build a team that could be European champions.
Les Phoceens were ready to rescue Mikel
from his Chelsea nightmare in the summer but the player’s reported
£3.4m-a-year salary reportedly aborted the move. “I saw him in London. He is in advanced discussions with OM. Marseille is a serious option for him,” the German told Europe 1.
Chinese moneybags Shanghai SIPG
reportedly offered Mikel £170,000 per week to move to Asia but Europe 1
believes the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner will move to Stade
Velodrome next month as he will be a key player at the project at
Marseille.
Garcia has said he will only sign top
players in January and believes Mikel will bring a wealth of
experience playing at the top level to help the side.
Former Swansea forward Bafetimbi Gomis
is currently Les Phoceens’ highest-paid player at €420,000 per month,
according to L’Equipe.But reports say Marseille are ready to
significantly improve on Mikel’s reported €350,000-a-month salary at
Chelsea to lure him to France.
Chelsea’s Italian manager Antonio Conte
has stuck with the team who chalked up their 11th match winning
streak in the Premier League following their 1-0 defeat of Crystal
Palace Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Mikel, who represented Nigeria at the
2014 World Cup in Brazil, has won the Premier League, FA Cup, League
Cup, Champions League and Europa League since he joined Chelsea from
Norwegian club Lyn Oslo in 2006.
- PUNCH.
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