According to the Mirror, Chelsea are set to lose defensive midfielder John Obi Mikel in the summer transfer window, after the player has been reportedly considering other clubs for a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea were dealt with a big blow in their race to the Barclays Premier League title after they lost by one goal to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The draw between Arsenal and Manchester City meant the Blues were not hurt as bad as they could have been – their league position remained unchanged ahead of the Liverpool/Spurs match. One man who did not feature in Saturday’s game, and has not for a few months is Mikel. The Nigerian has fallen down the pecking order with the arrival of Nemanja Matic from Benfica and Willian at the club. Also, Jose Mourinho’s continual faith in Frank Lampard for the big matches has meant one spot has always been occupied in the starting eleven.

Mikel came to England through Chelsea in 2006 when he was signed from Norwegian club Lyn Oslo. The 26-year old ultimately made 203 appearances for the Blues over his long stint at the club, scoring just one goal. Unless Mourinho can assure Mikel of his intentions of keeping the player in the first team squad and using him frequently, the player is likely to leave the club in the coming window.