Mikel expects to see out Chelsea contract

admin

The 28-year-old, the Blues’ second-longest serving player behind captain John Terry, is currently in the United States preparing for his 10th season at Stamford Bridge.

Mikel has been linked with moves to United Arab Emirates club Al Ain and Turkish side Fenerbahce this summer but wants to see out the remaining two years of his contract in west London.

“I want to stay and the manager wants me to stay,” he told Chelsea’s official website. “I’ve got two years here and I’m happy.

“I like to be somewhere where I have developed friends and family. It’s like my family here and every day I come to work it is like coming in to see my family.

“I know all the players and all the staff so it’s going to be a hard place to leave when my contract runs out but let’s see what happens. I want to see out my two years.”

Mikel played the first half of Chelsea’s friendly against New York Red Bulls on Thursday, when goals from Loic Remy and Eden Hazard could not prevent them slipping to a 4-2 defeat.

“Overall it was a pretty good warm-up game but not the result we hoped for,” he added.

“We are here to work hard, and we are here to train hard leading to the Community Shield and to the league. I think we’re on the right course.

“That game was just a one-off game and we know we need to go back to training, buckle up and know the season is starting soon.”