Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Galatasaray announce Drogba deal

Turkish giants Galatasaray have announced a deal to bring Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba back to European football following a short spell in China. The 34-year-old striker, who is currently on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, joined Shanghai Shenhua seven months ago. "An agreement has been reached with Didier Yves Drogba of Shanghai Shenhua football team, starting from the second half of 2012-2013 season for a 1.5 year period," the Turkish club announced on its official website. The club announced that Drogba is to be paid $13.5 million for the 18-month period, with an additional bonus of $20,000 for each match played. The forward left Chelsea for China last June, a month after helping the Londoners win their first European first Champions League title. His arrival marks the Turkish club's second significant signing this month after Dutchman Wesley Sneijder joined the 18-time champions from Italians Inter Milan. Drogba, who had wanted to go on loan to Chelsea to keep fit for the Nations Cup, is currently preparing for Ivory Coast's final Group D game against Algeria on Wednesday as the West Africans seek to win the tournament for the first time since 1992. Along with former Blues teammate Nicolas Anelka, the Ivorian failed to settle in China amid reports of unpaid bonuses, with both strikers now set to return to Europe. This is despite the fact that Anelka had agreed a two-year contract with Shenhua which reportedly earned him over $300,000 a week, while Drogba was believed to have signed an even more lucrative deal. Anelka, who is a 1998 World Cup winner, is currently in Italy as he seeks to negotiate a move to join reigning champions Juventus, which the club says will be for an initial five-month period with a view to a longer deal.

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