Stamford Bridge battler is the subject of a great deal of transfer interest.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has blocked the sale of midfielder John Obi Mikel according to the BBC.
The 28-year-old has found himself something of a bit-part player at Stamford Bridge and has attracted the interest of United Arab Emirates based sides Al Ain and Al Wahda (via BBC Sport).
Mikel, who moved to Stamford Bridge in 2006, found himself behind first choice holding midfielder Nemanja Matic in 2014/15 and the emergence of youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek could also prove something of an obstacle to the tough tackling fan favourite.
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Mourinho can also call upon the likes of Ramires and Spaniard Oriol Romeu but nonetheless the Chelsea boss wants to keep hold of the experienced Nigerian international.
Turkish giants Fenerbahce are also known to be interested in Mikel according to this BBC report and one wonders if the Chelsea man will be happy to remain at the West London side in the long and short term.
Mikel was handed just 11 Premier League starts during the first season of Jose Mourino’s second spell in charge of Chelsea and last term things went from bad to worse.
The superb form shown by Serbian Matic severely restricted Mikel’s involvement, cutting his starts to just six in the Premier League and a single start in Champions League action.
Mikel has two years to run on his current deal and has won a host of honours during his nine years at the Premier League club, but a lack of first team action is sure to lead to the stagnation of his career.