Mikel on Hamburg’s radar
Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel’s days at Chelsea appears to be coming to an end as he has been linked with a move to German Bundesliga outfit Hamburg.
Frank Arnesen, Chelsea’s sporting director, will be joining the German side in June and reports in the German media suggests that Mikel is among a shortlist of players the Dane intends to lure to Hamburg.
While Germany’s biggest sports tabloid, Bild, reported that Arnesen is chasing after Mikel and young Holland defender Jeffrey Bruma, a report on a German based site (www.hamburgerabendblatt.de) stated that the former Denmark international is also keen on securing the services of Salomon Kalou and Brazilian defender Alex.
Mikel, who featured for the Super Eagles in last night’s international friendly against Kenya, hasn’t enjoyed the best of times at Chelsea this season especially since returning from a knee injury in December.
The 23-year-old Nigerian was a regular in Chelsea’s double-winning team of last season but has played only seven of the London side’s 17 games since his making his return from injury.
British tabloid, News of the World, recently reported that Mikel is upset at his lack of first team starts and is set to demand showdown talks with Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti over his future.
The £25million-rated star’s contract runs until 2013 but he will have a list of top clubs battling for his signature if he does go – with Manchester United and Real Madrid at the forefront.
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