According to Goal, John Obi Mikel will look to leave Chelsea this summer if he’s not given assurances of a first-team role; whilst The Daily Mail report that West Ham and Valencia are in talks over the £2.4million transfer of Toni Martinez.
The Nigerian international has found a new lease of life under Guus Hiddink, featuring in all but two of the Dutchman’s 19 fixtures as Stamford Bridge boss, but was frozen out by Jose Mourinho at the start of the season and hasn’t registered more than 30 league outings in a single campaign for Chelsea since 2008/09.
With his contract due to expire at the end of next season and Chelsea welcoming a new manager – expected to be Antonio Conte – the 28-year-old’s future will be up for review this summer and he’s revealed to Goal that he is prepared to force an exit during the coming transfer window.
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As quoted by Goal, he said; “I have one more season with Chelsea but I know when this season ends, we will definitely sit down and try to sort out whatever needs to be sorted out. If it means me leaving, fine. If it means me staying, then I have to play because one thing I don’t want to do is to sit on the bench like I did before.”
“It’s not very nice, especially now when you have kids you just want to do what you can to play. Wherever it is I just want to play. When this season ends we will definitely sort out the contracts. Legacy is important and I’m very proud and happy that I’ve kept this legacy to be able to achieve what I have achieved.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Mail report that Valencia prospect Toni Martinez is on the verge of completing a £2.4million transfer to West Ham. The 18-year-old has made eight appearances for the La Liga outfit’s UEFA Youth League this season, scoring one and setting up three more, and has been capped for Spain at U19 level.
According to The Mail, the young forward has already decided upon a transfer to east London and the two clubs are now finalising the details. But Valencia want a buyback option included, which appears to be stopping the deal from getting over the line.