Galatasaray are keen on beating Turkish
Super League rivals Besiktas to the services of Chelsea defensive
midfielder Mikel Obi in the January transfer window.
The 28-year-old Super Eagles midfielder has made just nine appearances for the struggling Premier League champions this season.
Mikel has been forced to play second
fiddle to Nemanja Matic following the Serbia star’s impressive
performances since he rejoined Chelsea for a fee of £21m on a
five-and-a-half-year contract in the January 2014 transfer window.
The South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of
Nations winner was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge last
summer – with Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Fenerbahce and Besiktas said to
be interested in his services. But the former Lyn Oslo star was
reportedly persuaded by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho to remain at the
London outfit, assuring him of game time.
Besiktas have resurrected their interest in the player after missing out on him in the summer.
Speaking to Fanatik recently, Besiktas President Fikret Orman confirmed the 112-year-old Black Eagles might rekindle their interest in January.
“If (manager) Senol Gunes had given the
go- ahead, we were going to sign (Mikel) and we could enter the race
again over the winter break,” he said.
But reports on Tuesday claimed
struggling Galatasaray had made Mikel their top transfer target in
January to shore up the defence to boost their fortunes in the second
half of the season.
Galatasaray, who are third in the league
table, lost 2-1 to Besiktas at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on
Monday. They are planning to make contact with Chelsea in the coming
days to try and agree a fee believed to be in the region of £5.7m for
Mikel, according to www.takvim.com.tr.
Mikel’s current deal with the Blues runs until 2017 but the club are unlikely to offer him a new one.
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