A?top Shanghai Shenhua official left for Ivory Coast for the final round of negotiations to sign star striker Didier Drogba.

Shenhua board member Zhou Jun is hoping to get the former Chelsea hitman's signature with a deal that also includes the online game promotion of Zhu Jun's company. Zhu is the club's chief investor. The club may also be involved in some charitable causes in the strife-torn African country as part of the agreement.

Besides Drogba, Shenhua is also reportedly hoping to sign Argentine midfielder Andres D'Alessandro. But Zhu played down talks that the deal was imminent. Meanwhile, Shenhua's French striker Nicolas Anelka is back in the city after a brief holiday and has resumed training. The Chinese Super League will be back in action after a brief break with Shenhua visiting Changchun Yatai in the northeastern Chinese city on Saturday.