John obi Mikel’s future at Chelsea has been under speculation in the last few weeks after the player admitted that he would be prepared to change clubs if he is not going to get regular football at Stamford Bridge under the management of Antonio Conte.

The Italian was recently announced as the next Chelsea manager after signing a three-year contract to replace Guus Hiddink. Conte is known as man who places a lot of value upon discipline and tactical knowledge. He has a special relationship with Paul Pogba of Juventus.

The Frenchman is regarded as one of finest young midfielders in world football and is valued in excess of £ 70 million. After the payment of Conte, Pogba has been one of the first names to be linked with Stamford Bridge. In order to afford such inexpensive signing, the blues will have to sell some of their existing players and raise money. The club are reportedly planning to do this by offloading the likes of Mikel and Willian. Mikel was recently named as the new Nigeria captain and it is a major progression from the teenage days when he was seen as a talent not a complete player.

The 28-year-old’s agent says that Chelsea would not have offered the midfielder a new contract if it was for selling him. Mikel is yet to sign on the dotted line.“If Chelsea have plans to sell him, they will not offer him a new contract. It is normal paper talk and not true. Mikel remains a player of Chelsea and wants to finish up the season before weighing his options,” said the player’s agent. After featuring very rarely under José Mourinho, Mikel has been a regular under Guus Hiddink. However, the situation could once again change when the club undergoes a managerial change in the summer with the arrival of Conte.