Mikel only made 11 league starts and a further 13 appearances from the ­substitutes’ bench for Chelsea last season

Chelsea are in talks with Valencia about the possible transfer of Chelsea prepare to offload John Obi Mikel and Ramires and have asked Real Madrid that Luka Modric be included in any proposed deal for Ramires.

The west London club tried to sell Mikel, 27, to Galatasaray last summer, but the Nigeria midfielder did not want to move. He has three years left on his contract, but the arrival of Nemanja Matic in January and Marco van Ginkel’s recovery from a knee injury have paved the way for his departure.

Valencia, who were purchased this week by Peter Lim, the Singaporean billionaire, are looking to bolster their defensive options and have turned to Mikel now that their pursuit of Cheikhou Kouyaté has been ended by