Turkish side Besiktas have confirmed they will rekindle their interest in Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel when the transfer window reopens in January.
The current Super Lig leaders tried to sign the 28-year-old over the summer but saw their advances blocked when Chelsea failed to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus.
However, Besiktas president Fikret Oman has confirmed the club will re-enter negotiations with the Premier League champions in January.
“If [Senol] Gunes had given the go-ahead we were going to sign Mikel [over the summer], and we could enter the race again over the winter break,” Besiktas' president is quoted as saying by the London Evening Standard.
Mikel, who joined Chelsea in 2006, has never been a regular starter throughout his time at Stamford Bridge. In fact, since the start of the 2009/10 season the defensive midfielder has only started in 38% of Chelsea’s league games (101).
For more stats on John Obi Mikel, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
