Chelsea star set for Nicolas Anelka reunion in China
Published:A Champions League winning goal in midweek proved Didier Drogba still has plenty to offer at Chelsea, but he now looks primed for a summer switch to Shanghai Shenhua.
Drogba’s winner over Barcelona came in the aftermath of an FA Cup semi-final opener, but despite such important strikes, it looks as though he will be allowed to leave the club for nothing when his contract expires in June.
Shanghai Shenhua, who clinched the signing of Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea in January, are ready to swoop, and are expected to offer Drogba a £6.7million per year financial package to secure the Ivorian’s signature.
Anelka has gone on to take up the role of player-manager at the Chinese Super League outfit, and as a former team-mate of Drogba, believes that the 34-year-old would be an ideal strike partner.
With his legacy already cemented as a Chelsea legend, Drogba’s Stamford Bridge exit will come with a heavy heart, and it is thought that he would prefer to stay put rather than leave at all.
However, only a 12 month contract has been offered to the powerhouse forward by the Blues, so his eight year tenure at the club looks set to come to an end, as he prepares to sign a two-year deal at Shanghai.
He will still have a big part to play in remaining league fixtures, as Chelsea bid for Champions League qualification next term, and also in their bid to claim Europe’s elite title this term too.
The striker’s movement and strength caused Barcelona legitimate consistent problems on Wednesday night, indicating his role in the reverse fixture at the Nou Camp will be a prominent one.
Meanwhile, he will hope to bow out in style when Chelsea meet Liverpool in the FA Cup final, and can do so by finding the Wembley net as he has so often done in his sparkling Blues career.
