John Mikel Obi's 10-year Chelsea career appears to be over after reportedly being told his contract would not be getting renewed.
The midfielder, who has spent the past decade at Stamford Bridge, has fallen down the pecking order under Antonio Conte and is not expected to pen fresh terms ahead of his current deal's June 2017 expiration date.
The London Evening Standard claims that sources from within the Chelsea camp have said that the club will not look to hold talks with Mikel over extending his stay in London, and the 29-year-old could now leave the Blues as early as January.
Mikel is yet to make a single first-team appearance under Conte this term, and only managed to fit in one week's worth of pre-season training before heading off to the Olympic Games with the Nigerian national side as one of three senior stars allowed to participate in Brazil.
Since his return, the defensive midfielder has suffered from a minor knee injury and also seen younger options in Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah overtake him as back-up options to first choice centre midfield pairing N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic.
Mikel, therefore, appears to have no option but to leave the Londoners for pastures new. The former Lyn Oslo starlet will be free to talk to clubs on the continent in January, with the potential to sign a pre-contract agreement, or could even leave permanently if Chelsea receive a suitable enough offer from an interested party in the winter transfer window.
Comments