John Obi Mikel’s agent has confirmed it is ’50-50′ as to whether the midfielder will leave Chelsea during the January transfer window.
Doubts have emerged over Mikel’s Chelsea future as he has only six months left to run on his contract, and he continues to be linked with clubs ranging from Manchester United, to teams in China.
The Nigeria captain hasn’t made a match-day sqaud for Chelsea since Antonio Conte took charge and has found himself out of favour at Stamford Bridge after he missed the start of the Premier League season to be part of his national team which won his country’s only medal at the Olympics.
His agent John Shittu, who has represented him since his controversial move to England, which resulted in a transfer tussle between Chelsea and Manchester United, admits there is activity around Mikel.
However, Shittu refused to rule out a Chelsea stay for his client and revealed that Mikel and Conte have discussed his future.
“Obi Mikel and Antonio have been speaking,” Shittu told Goal. “The manager, club and player have been talking. So I am not in a position to tell about what they have been speaking about, in the next few weeks things should be clearer.
“We have been having meeting with a few parties who are interested in him, once we are able to agree the way forward with Chelsea, then we will take it from there.
“There are a few clubs in Europe and Asia, they are numerous and are interested in him because he is a quality player, aged only 29, and we just have to speak, so we will see. A lot of interest is there.
“There is no decision made yet and it is still 50/50 whether he will sign or leave. A lot can happen in the next months, never say never in football.”
Shittu was unable to reveal any details about the clubs who are interested, but other sources close to Goal have said that Marseille and Fenerbahce are two of the European sides who are keen.
Mikel also told Goal back in September that he would one day like to play in the United States, like his former Chelsea team-mates, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.
Meanwhile, reports in England have linked Mikel with a move to Manchester United, but Shittu insists that he is calm about Mikel’s future ahead of January.
“I am very busy because he is one of my players who we need to decide on what happens in the next window. Is there going to be a January opportunity? Our number one priority is to make the best decision on his future and that’s what we are trying to do.
“His future is very bright, so we are having meetings, here and there, and we have to work towards the January window. We have meetings with different clubs and we are very clear about the situation. We are just waiting for the window to open and we will go the best way forward for Obi Mikel.”
Mikel is Chelsea’s second longest-serving player after John Terry and has said previously that he is open to talks about a stay, despite his lack of first-team action this season.
