"The money was big" - Mikel John Obi reveals why he joined Chelsea despite having pre-contract agreement with Manchester United

Mikel John Obi has opened up about why he decided to join Chelsea, despite having a pre-contract agreement with Manchester United.

In a candid conversation with Rio Ferdinand on 'Vibe with Five', Mikel delved into the reasons behind his monumental decision. He joined Chelsea in the summer of 2006 despite having signed a pre-contract agreement with the Red Devils in 2005.

The Blues legend recounted:

"I came to Manchester United when I was 16, 17, something like that, and, you know, tryouts with the club. The boss absolutely loved me when I came to the club. I was straight with the first team, I remember. And he actually really, really wanted me in the club."

"But then I went back on holidays, and then what happened is that my agent contacted me when I was at home with my family. He's like, listen, I know you've gone to United for, like, tryouts, but, you know, Chelsea really wants you. And, you know, the project, the new project, you know."

After a quip from Ferdinand, the Mikel John Obi admitted that the Stamford Bridge outfit were offering a higher salary:

"The money was big! I will say that the money was absolutely, yeah, the money was big. And, obviously, even in London, and I spoke to Roman as well, I spoke to Jose, you know, like, come up and say, we'll leave the contract open for you, you know, we'll just make sure you come to Chelsea. And that's why when I went back home, my agent called me, he's like, we have to switch."

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Manchester United did not plan to let Chelsea have Mikel John Obi

Mikel John Obi's agent seemed to have been pushing for a move to Stamford Bridge, but the youngster had signed an agreement with the Red Devils. He even appeared in a press conference for the Manchester-based club, holding the United shirt.

This led to a prolonged transfer battle, lasting 14 months, which pitted two of the world's wealthiest and most influential clubs against each other.

Speaking with Ferdinand on Vibe with Five, he revealed how he agreed to a pre-contract with Manchester United without his agent:

"United came back with a contract. And they effectively flew to Norway as well, you know, to see me. And I thought, you know what, I'm going to sign for United. Why not? And I did sign a pre-contract for United. But it wasn't like a professional contract."

Mikel explained further:

"You have to be 18, coming from Africa. You have to be 18 before you'd be able to sign a professional contract. So I was an 18 then. So I signed a pre-contract. And then Chelsea saw the image at a press conference, and Roman was like, no, I'm not having this. He sent my agent and people to Norway, and that's where I got kidnapped."

The defensive midfielder had an extremely impressive tenure at the west London club, winning the Premier League twice and one Champions League title.