Nigerian Super Eagles Ace Midfielder John Obi Mikel is close to leaving Chelsea for
Galatasaray after revealing Didier Drogba convinced him to join the Turkish
champions, according to the Daily Mail.
Mikel and Drogba were teammates at Chelsea until the
Ivorian international left Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2012.
And Mikel admitted he asked his old colleague for
advice about moving to Galatasaray after it emerged that the club were
interested in signing him.
"I'm
very pleased with Galatasaray's offer," Mikel told
Sabah, a Turkish newspaper.
"I
asked Drogba for advice and he told me that Istanbul is a fantastic city, that
Galatasaray is a huge club and that I have to make the move.
"I
have played at Chelsea for a long time and it's now time for me to leave.
"I'm
still only 26 and it's great to receive an offer from a club (Galatasaray)
playing Champions League football and doing well in the competition."
Mikel was signed by Mourinho in 2006 after a long
drawn out transfer saga involving Manchester United, but the 'Special One's'
return doesn't look like preventing his exit.
Mikel continued: "Talks have reached an
advanced level between Chelsea and Galatasaray. Chelsea won't make the move
difficult and regarding my salary there won't be a problem.
"All
that is left is for the clubs to reach an agreement."
Mikel has been an important part of the Chelsea
first-team squad in recent seasons, but talk of a reshuffle under new boss
Mourinho could pave the way for him to leave the club.
Mourinho has been linked with several big-money
moves, and the Chelsea boss would be expected to at least recoup some money
before spending Roman Abramovich's cash.
That could explain Mikel's potential departure, with
Chelsea capable of replacing the Nigerian international with David Luiz in a
deep lying midfield role or Frank Lampard or even the returning Oriol Romeu.
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