Chelsea could offload 372-capped midfielder in January to Ligue 1 outfit

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is reportedly attracting interest from a European club ahead of the forthcoming January transfer window, according to TuttoMercatoWeb (via Goal).

The Premier League side, who currently sit fifth in the English top-flight standings and face Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium this afternoon, could opt to offload the Nigeria international if Marseille follow up their speculated pursuit.

The 29-year-old, who has 75 international caps for his country, has failed to feature at all for The Blues in all competitions so far this season under new manager Antonio Conte.

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

Mikel, who has less than one year remaining on his current deal at Stamford Bridge, joined Chelsea back in 2006 from Lyn.

Having gone onto score six goals and provide 13 assists in 372 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League outfit, the midfielder’s future at the club looks bleak, with Chelsea seemingly happy to run down his contract until next summer, where he would become a free agent.

However the report suggests that Ligue 1 outfit Marseille could step in during the January transfer window to take the Nigerian off The Blues’ ranks early.