Shanghai: Chinese football club Shanghai Shenhua boss Zhu Jun confirmed that Cote d'Ivoire and former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba will join the club on a two-and-half years' contract worth a staggering 25 million pounds.

Zhu said Monday the Shenhua club would not make an official announcement until Drogba releases the news by himself on his personal website. The arrival time of Drogba has not been fixed.

Zhu Jun, a board member of Shenhua, went to Cote d'Ivoire last Friday to discuss the details of the contract with Drogba, reported Xinhua.

Jun also said that the club will invest $10 million in buying a midfielder. Local media believed that Shenhua plans to import Moreno, a Columbian midfielder who is serving an Argentinean club.

Shenhua has been spending extravagantly, buying big name foreign footballers.

French striker Nicolas Anelka and coach Jean Tigana joined Shenhua at the beginning of this season of the Chinese Super League, but the French coach was fired later for failing the club's expectation.

The current coach for Shenhua is Argentinean Sergio Batista. (IANS)