John Obi Mikel could be heading back to English football, with Championship outfit Middlesbrough said to be in talks for the Nigeria captain.
There had been reports that Boro had turned down Mikel after talks last week, but fresh reports from Gazette Live say that Riverside outfit remain interested in the 31-year old and held further talks on Monday.
Dominic Shaw from Teesside Live reports that a deal coming to fruition is "very much a possibility." - with journalist Graeme Bailey stressing that Boro are keen on snapping him up despite interest from elsewhere.
Mikel, who recently left Tianjin Teda after his contract was terminated by mutual consent last month, has attracted interest from Crystal Palace but would likely struggle for regular football at Selhurst Park.
Advert
Still, the experienced midfielder would be a very steady signing for Tony Pulis' outfit in their push for promotion back to the Premier League.
Mikel first moved to England in 2005 in one of the most bizarre transfers in football history when Manchester United, Norwegian side Lyn and the player held a press conference to confirm that he was signing for the club.
An 18-year old Mikel even posed with a United shirt bearing the number 21 but things were complicated when Chelsea claimed they had an agreement with the player and then the player went missing, there were other claims of him being forced to sign a deal with United and all sorts of other shenanigans came into play.
Advert
The whole matter was resolved when Chelsea agreed to pay United £12 million to sign a player who never played for them and a further £4 million to Lyn.
Mikel then went on to win three FA Cups, two Premier Leagues and one Champions League in a 10-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Football News, Chelsea, Football, Manchester United
