Impact to sign ex-Chelsea striker Drogba

The Montreal Impact have acquired Drogba’s Major League Soccer rights from the Chicago fire, clearing the way for his arrival in the Canadian city, ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle reported Sunday, citing sources.

Drogba, a free agent striker, had been in negotiations with the Chicago Fire and MLS, but he changed direction when Montreal registered its interest in his services.

It’s a move that makes sense on the field as well, with Drogba showing he can still perform at a high-level by scoring seven goals in 38 mostly substitute appearances for the Premier League champions Chelsea last season. With ample talent around him, Drogba will nearly certainly score goals and lead Montreal back into the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The aforementioned report, suggests that the deal being offered to Drogba is an 18-month contract worth over $3 million per year, but that the Ivorian striker has not yet inked a deal with the club.

This marks the second time in two seasons that Chicago has missed out on a high-profile designated player.

The Impact seemed like an obvious choice for the francophone player, since it’s the only French-speaking club in the league.

The current MLS transfer window ends on August. 6, and Chicago manager Frank Yallop has mentioned on several occasions that he has other targets in mind.