He was visibly moved when he returned to Stamford Bridge as his side Galatasaray faced off against Chelsea in the Champions League this past season.
For Didier Drogba, it was a homecoming befitting of a king, as fans waved banners and his former boss Jose Mourinho heaped praise on the Ivorian star's goal scoring feats.
And now having finished his stint in Turkey, reports from England, notably Sky Sports are claiming that he could make a truly senational return to the club where he was instrumental in them winning their first ever Champions League trophy in 2012.
Although Serie A giants Juventus have repeatedly attempted to entice him to Italy by making offers throughout the season, notably a two year deal, the same sources claim that the African Player of the Year recipient is more keen on moving back to England.
The reason? An opportunity to link up again with Jose Mourinho, under whom he began his career back in 2004 and could provide a helping hand up front.
The Blues have already shipped out Samuel Eto'o after his one year contract expired, while Demba Ba has moved on to Turkish side Besiktas in a quest to gain more playing time.
Chelsea have also Brazilian-born Spanish international Diego Costa as their first choice attacker and are left with the largely uninspiring Fernando Torres and Belgian youngster Romelu Lukaku, whom Mourinho seems not to have enough faith in to bring back to Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis.
Should the move for Drogba go through, it is believed that the African star would serve as a player-coach.
And now, French daily L'Equipe has claimed that he will sign a one year contract with the option to become a member of the coaching staff once he retires.
