Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel. (Photo : Getty Images)
Chinese Super League squad Shanghai SIPG FC is reportedly targeting Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel to move to China for a transfer fee of £6 million during this January transfer window.
Former England national team manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is said to be keen on bringing Mikel to China and that his club is willing to pay £6 million for the services of the 28-year-old winger.
The deal is also said to include a salary of £60,000 per week after tax for Mikel, as reported by Metro.
However, the Nigeria international has notably become a key part of the Premier League defending champions' recent mini-resurgence even as the Blues are currently at the 13th spot in the English top flight's overall standings, which could potentially derail Shanghai's plans.
With Mikel and his teammates' impressive plays as of late, Chelsea has been unbeaten in their last seven outings with their most recent game ending in a 1-0 win over top-three squad Arsenal FC at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
"Everyone knows where we were in December," the 69-year-old Hiddink said. "So far we are unbeaten but we cannot be fully satisfied with results."
"My main task is to get the team to where we desperately want to be. I'm focused on that job," he added.
If things continue to go well with interim manager Guus Hiddink starting eleven, then the Blues may back out of any possible deal that will involve the 6-foot-2 Jos, Nigeria native even if it would mean some profit for the cash-starved club.
The Independent noted that Shanghai manager Eriksson is eager "to repair his reputation in China" after a rocky stint as head coach of CSL's Guangzhou R&F FC from June 2013 to December 2014.
Mikel has been with the Pensioners for the majority of his senior career, playing for the Fulham club for ten years now, since the 2006-2007 season. He had appeared in 347 games in all competitions for Chelsea and scoring five times mainly as a defensive midfielder.
He debuted as a professional in 2004 for Norwegian squad Lyn Fotball, where he stayed for two years before moving to Stamford Bridge following a failed, controversial transfer deal involving Manchester United.
