Dubai club to bid for Chelsea star Drogba

Diego Maradona's Dubai club Al Wasl is set to make an audacious swoop for Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, according to The Sun.

Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua say they have an agreement to sign the 34-year-old, who has left Chelsea on a free.

The UAE Pro League side has confirmed they can match the £300,000-a-week wages the Chinese are willing to pay Drogba.

And they hope that big donations to his charity will help their cause.

Maradona said: “Who in the world would not want Drogba? Every team would love to have such a player in their ranks.”

However, the Dubai club also have to beat off interest from Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho who would like to take him to the Bernabeu.

The striker, helped Chelsea win the Champions League in Munich earlier this month to bring the curtain down on a trophy-laden spell in west London.
 
Ivory Coast star Drogba, signed from Marseille for £24 million in 2004, was expected to join up with former Blues team-mate Nicolas Anelka at the Chinese Super League club on what would be a lucrative free transfer.

But doubts emerged after the Shanghai club sacked Jean Tigana as coach and brought in Sergio Batista ending a brief in charge as player-manager for Anelka.

New Shanghai Shenhua boss Batista said: “The people from the club are doing their best to get Drogba here.
 
“Every coach in the world wants to get Drogba on the team and I hope everything is okay.”

Ex-Argentina manager Batista maintained there was no issue with Anelka, who had taken temporary charge as player-coach after former boss Jean Tigana was axed in April.
 
Batista, 49, added: “I’m open to hear Anelka and all the players on the team speak about what’s happening on the field.
 
“Anelka is one of the best players in the world and I want to keep him on the pitch."

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