Chelsea could be set to complete the transfer of one of their longest serving midfielders, following a reported interest from the Italian Serie A.
John obi Mikel, who has been in and out of the Chelsea side since joining the club in a controversial manner back in 2006, enjoyed a decent season with Chelsea last season following the return of former boss Guus Hiddink.
According to reports emanating from Italy, Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini is considering submitting an offer for the Nigerian, who has spent 10 years at the Stamford Bridge with Chelsea, with the Blues reportedly set to sign Leicester and French midfielder N’Golo Kante. It is expected that should Chelsea sign Kante, they will be open to letting Mikel leave the Stamford Bridge as they certainly won’t be needing Matic, Kante, Oscar and Mikel in the same team.
As reported by TMW, Serie A club Inter Milan are set to table a bid of about €5-6 million for the one time AFCON winner, and many Chelsea faithfuls believe it is high time the Nigerian left the club. Especially as someone younger and better is likely to replace him in Kante.
It is obvious that if Kante joins Chelsea, Mikel will be surplus to require unless if Oscar is leaving which doesnt’t appear so, at least for now. By getting rid of him, Chelsea will not only be able to bring in a better replacement but will also be freeing up their wage bill. Mikel is reportedly on a £75,000 a week wage package.
Having spent 10 illustrious seasons at the bridge, winning the premier league twice, FA cup 4 times, league cup twice, FA Community shield once, Uefa champions league and Europa League once, Inter Milan will be signing a player with a great wealth of experience. And with the Serie A not as physical as the Premier League, Mikel is likely to do well in Italy.
