Nicolas Anelka signs a contract in China

English Premier League side FC Chelsea have accepted the transfer request of their French striker Nicolas Sébastien Anelka as the 32 year old has signed a two year contract with Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua which starts in January 2012.

The London club are allowing the striker to leave on a free transfer after Anelka has not been able to get regular first team football under new manager Andre Villas-Boas.

In China they have high hopes of Nicolas Anelka, where they see him as a role model for young, aspiring footballers. China wants to create positive news after all the scandals in recent years with Shenhua owner Zhu Jun willing to spend big to push his team to the top of the league. Anelka team mate Didier Drogba is said to be another transfer market.

Some in the Chinese media have written that Anelka's signing is a milestone for Chinese football and fans look forward to see Anelka in action in their league.

Interestingly Anelka has been a controversial player all his football career. He had left FC Paris Saint-Germain as a teenager to sign for FC Arsenal. He went to play for Real Madrid, FC Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Fenerbahce Istanbul, Bolton Wanderers and then FC Chelsea.

Nicolas Anelka on his way to China?

Former French international striker Nicolas Anelka is having a tough season under new Chelsea FC manager André Villas-Boas with limited playing time. The 32 year old strikers has fallen behind in the pecking order having to fight for a place along with Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, new signing Juan Manuel Mata and youngster Daniel Sturridge.

Anelka's class is known around the world, but he can be a difficult player having had his problems with managers, fellow players and fans. Anelka's four-and-a-half year contract ends at the end of the season with Chelsea unlikely to offer him a new contract and he might be allowed to leave in January.

But Anelka isn't a player who is unwanted, actually there is huge interest in the striker from around the world, be it Italian giants AC Milan, former club FC Paris Saint-Germain, big spending Russians FC Anzhi Makhachkala; MLS sides New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy, Philadelphia Union and Montreal Impact plus Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.

The offer from China seems to be the most tempting for Anelka. Reports say he has been offered 10 Million Euros per season with French sports paper L'Équipe even reporting that Anelka has accepted the offer from Shenhua.

It would be interesting to have a striker of Anelka's calibre playing in Asia...