Monday, 19 December 2016
SPORTS: Marseille to make Mikel highest-paid player
Struggling French Ligue 1 side
Marseille may have succeeded in
convincing out-of-favour Chelsea
midfielder Mikel Obi to shun big-
money move to the Chinese Super
League to help revive the club.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner
Frank McCourt, who bought
Marseille in October, had promised
to invest heavily in the January
transfer window to help manager
Rudi Garcia build a team that could
be European champions.
Les Phoceens were ready to rescue
Mikel from his Chelsea nightmare
in the summer but the player’s
reported £3.4m-a-year salary
reportedly aborted the move.
With McCourt ready to spend in
January – and Mikel yet to play a
single game for Chelsea since the
beginning of the season – reports in
France on Sunday claimed Marseille
were ready to sign the 29-year-old.
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr also
confirmed Mikel, whose contract at
Stamford Bridge expires at the end
of the season, was in talks with
Marseille.
“I saw him in London. He is in
advanced discussions with OM.
Marseille is a serious option for
him,” the German told Europe 1.
Chinese moneybags Shanghai SIPG
reportedly offered Mikel £170,000
per week to move to Asia but Europe
1 believes the 2013 Africa Cup of
Nations winner will move to Stade
Velodrome next month as he will be
a key player at the project at
Marseille.
Garcia has said he will only sign
top players in January and believes
Mikel will bring a wealth of
experience playing at the top level
to help the side.
Former Swansea forward Bafetimbi
Gomis is currently Les Phoceens’
highest-paid player at €420,000 per
month, according to L’Equipe.
But reports say Marseille are ready
to significantly improve on Mikel’s
reported €350,000-a-month salary
at Chelsea to lure him to France.
Chelsea’s Italian manager Antonio
Conte has stuck with the team who
chalked up their 11th match
winning streak in the Premier
League following their 1-0 defeat of
Crystal Palace Selhurst Park on
Saturday.
Mikel, who represented Nigeria at
the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, has
won the Premier League, FA Cup,
League Cup, Champions League and
Europa League since he joined
Chelsea from Norwegian club Lyn
Oslo in 2006.
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