To earn N78m weekly
Undergoes medical
BY JOE APU
Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi seem to have his mind made up to go for the big bucks of the Chinese league and is set to sign a three-year deal with £140,000-a-week (N78, 400.00) earning The Chelsea midfielder was expected to complete his medical at Tianjin TEDA yesterday after agreeing to the deal. Mikel, who hasn’t even made the bench at Stamford Bridge this season, looked set to join Valencia having turned his back on the Chinese Super League. But according to the Daily Mail, the 29-year-old has had a change of heart after a three-year deal was put on the table.
He will join the likes of former team-mate Oscar, who made a £60m switch to Shanghai SIPG this month, and Carlos Tevez who became the world’s highest paid player after completing his China move. Mikel will leave Chelsea a fan favourite having won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups, one Champions League and one Europa League amongst others. A figure for the transfer is still unknown but the two sides remain confident that a deal can be agreed once Mikel completes his medical. And Chelsea may use the funds made from the sales of Oscar and Mikel to land Napoli ace Faouzi Ghoulam. Antonio Conte is keen to bolster his defensive options at this crucial stage of the season.
The Italian is also willing to let midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek leave on loan with Brighton keen on his services. Only on Tuesday in Lagos, Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr had admitted that he would prefer Mikel remains in Europe but should he decide to head to China as is the case now, he would still play a key role in his plans.