Jon Obi Mikel hopes to force a new Chelsea contract as time runs out on his Blues career

Mikel is yet to feature for the Blues under Antonio Conte this season

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Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has revealed he is ready to open discussions with other clubs in January if the Blues fail to offer him a new deal.

The 29-year-old has been at Stamford Bridge since 2006, with John Terry the only member of the current squad who has been there longer, but Mikel looks set to bring his time with the Blues to an end.

Mikel has struggled to make an impression on new boss Antonio Conte having not made a first-team appearance and is out of contract in the summer and can begin negotiations with other clubs in January.

"I have one year left [on my contract]," Mikel told Goal.com. "When you have a year left as a football player, you have to start planning and start thinking about what’s going to happen at the end of the season.

“Yes, there are going to be rumours, yes, there are going to be conversations between clubs.

"When you have a year left, in January, you are allowed to talk to other clubs and sign a pre-contract or have an agreement so, yes, I will talk to other clubs because you never know what is going to happen.

"I’ve been here for a long, long time. I’ve spent 11 years of my life in this football club, it is my home.

"This season is the last at the club if my contract ends. I am quite relaxed about it, the future looks good."

Conte brought in N’Golo Kante in the summer and with he and Nemanja Matic ahead of Mikel, his first-team appearances will be extremely limited.

However, despite being open to speaking to new clubs in January, Mikel is confident he can compete with Kante and Matic and earn a new contract at the club.

"I am always open to a new conversation, a negotiation [with Chelsea]," he continued. "But if there’s none, the future still looks bright.

“One day you have to move on. I think my memories here, my achievements here, are something that no one will ever take away from me.

"I have won everything there is to win with this football club. We were the first London club to win the Champions League, and forever I will be one of the first players to win the Champions League for Chelsea. Those memories will never go away."