Drogba to follow Anelka?

Shanghai Shenhua want Didier Drogba to join current Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka in China.

Anelka’s move to Shenhua in the January transfer window was announced on Monday, and the Frenchman is rumoured to be receiving up to 9.425 million euros per year to play in China.

Now, club director Zhou Jun has confirmed that they have set their sights on Drogba.

Zhou said Shenhua, who finished the 2011 Chinese season in 11th place, are ready to continue spending if the Ivorian striker is willing to swap west London for the Far East.

“Drogba is an excellent player,” Zhou told Reuters. “We got in touch with him two weeks ago.”

“From our club’s perspective, we have this to say: If he is willing to come, we will definitely welcome him.”

“It’s like with the opening up of China. We needed to bring in the good stuff from foreign countries for us to learn from.”

Drogba, whose contract at Stamford Bridge expires in the summer, has also been linked with a move to the United States’ Major League Soccer.

However, Zhou hopes that the high-profile signing of Anelka will encourage other marquee players to move to China to aid the growth of football in the country.

“People are aware of Anelka’s Chelsea yearly salary which is around five million pounds. So when he comes to China it definitely won’t be below this figure,” he said.

Shenhua may have competition for Drogba’s signature, with league rivals Dalian Aerbin revealing were also interested in the 33-year-old.

Dalian’s general manager Li Ming was quoted in the Chinese press as saying: “Money is not the problem. Drogba is still one of the most popular soccer stars in the world, though he will be 34 years old.”

“We have talked a lot with Drogba’s agent and promised to provide him with a three-year contract.”

Meanwhile, new Shenhua signing Anelka is likely to be joined by former Fulham and Monaco manager Jean Tigana, who will take over as coach of the club.

“Tigana, from the looks of it currently, is not a big problem,” Zhou said. “When he was last in Shanghai he said the next time he is seen there it would be to coach Shenhua Football Club.”