DUBAI // An <a href="gopher://topicL3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL09yZ2FuaXNhdGlvbnMvU3BvcnRzIHRlYW1zL1VBRSBmb290YmFsbCB0ZWFtcy9BbCBXYXNs" inlink="topic::L3RoZW5hdGlvbmFsL09yZ2FuaXNhdGlvbnMvU3BvcnRzIHRlYW1zL1VBRSBmb290YmFsbCB0ZWFtcy9BbCBXYXNs">Al Wasl</a> official has confirmed they are making an audacious bid to convince Didier Drogba to move Dubai ahead of Madrid and Shanghai. <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/chinese-interest-in-didier-drogba">Shanghai Shenhua claim they have a pre-contract agreement with the 34-year-old striker</a>, who scored the winning penalty for Chelsea in the Champions League final last month, while Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, who brought Drogba to England from Marseille, would like to take him to the Bernabeu. But a Wasl representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, says the Dubai club are willing to match the £300,000-a-week (Dh1.69 million) deal Shenhua are prepared to offer Drogba to reunite him with Nicolas Anelka, his former strike partner at Chelsea. “More than that, we are willing to commit to Drogba’s charity foundation,” said the official. “As we understand, Drogba is more interested in getting commitments for his foundation and his decision will be based on that.” In 2009, Drogba donated his £3m fee for a Pepsi endorsement towards the construction of a hospital in his hometown of Abidjan. The hospital is the first project of the Didier Drogba Foundation, and the Ivory Coast striker is keen to fund more projects as he nears retirement. “The UAE and Dubai have been at the forefront of many such charity projects in Africa and around the world, and it would be a pleasure for us to work with the Didier Drogba Foundation,” Wasl official added Diego Maradona, the Wasl coach, is excited about the prospect of signing Drogba. “Who in the world would not want a player like Drogba?” he said. “Every team would love to have such a player in their rank, but it is too early to talk about him at Wasl. Let us see how things go.” Follow us
