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LONDON. — Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has declared that Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel could be on his way out of the club. Mikel has been consistently linked with a move away from Chelsea but it seems the arrival of Ivorian marksman, Didier Drogba has finally sounded the death knell on the time of the Nigerian at the club.

The return of Drogba means Chelsea’s anticipated first-team squad has one too many foreign players under English Premier League and Champions League rules relating to the home-grown quota. Clubs can only name 17 foreign players over the age of 21 in their official 25-man squads and Chelsea have 18 overseas stars who are realistically vying for those places.

Authoritative British newspaper, Telegraph, reports that Mourinho has decided that one of Fernando Torres, Peter Cech or Mikel will be asked to leave the club this summer.

“From the group you are expecting us to have as a squad, I have to send one away because we have one extra foreign player. “So from all these players, if you think all of them have to stay, you are wrong. One of them has to go,” Mourinho said.

Mikel has made over 200 league appearances since joining Chelsea in 2006.— AFP.