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Lyn Oslo midfielder, John Obi Mikel, has quit the club as he continues to hold out for a move to Chelsea.
Lyn Oslo midfielder, John Obi Mikel, has quit the club as he continues to hold out for a move to Chelsea.
Although a deal with Manchester United has been agreed, and the midfielder signed a contract with The Red Devils, the Nigerian still has his sights firmly set on playing for the Premiership champions.
The messy saga, one of the most protracted in the history of the game, shows no signs of ending with things being rather more complicated than Mikel appears to view them.
'I have notified Lyn in writing that I won't do anything more for the club," said the talented teenager to Aftenposten.
'Early Wednesday (yesterday), I am travelling for good. I am going to England. 'I am now hoping that Lyn will release my licence so I can start football training."
There is no prospect of Lyn simply freeing their highly-rated starlet, after brokering a deal with United, and the police have been dragged into the sorry affair.
Mikel's lawyers have claimed Lyn Director, Morgan Andersen, fabricated the African's first professional contract with the Oslo outfit.
However, Andersen has vehemently denied this accusation and Fifa have already ruled in Lyn's favour over the document.
Sir Alex Ferguson is believed to still want the 18-year-old, despite the player's reluctance to head to Old Trafford, as there is the suspicion that Mikel is being coerced into joining Chelsea instead.
Mikel, along with Chinedu Ogbuke and Ezekiel Bala, are risking hefty suspensions from Fifa with their unsanctioned departures.
'If Lyn and the players have not reached an agreement, Fifa will act," warned expert Kenneth Andre Leren on NRK.
'A player can be charged financially and have to pay their club. Additionally, they might be suspended worldwide for a certain time," he said.
THE PUNCH, Thursday, December 01, 2005