Report: Didier Drogba retires, will join Chelsea's coaching staff

Montreal Impact forward Didier Drogba has reportedly retired in order to rejoin Chelsea as an assistant to new manager Guus Hiddink, according to Herve Penot of L'Equipe.

Drogba will reportedly join the Blues' coaching staff in time for Chelsea's Champions League Round of 16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain.

Penot adds that the two parties still need to agree to monetary compensation for Drogba's release, but that shouldn't lessen Drogba's intent to join Chelsea once more.

Drogba's ties at Stamford Bridge are strong, having spent much of his career playing - and scoring - for the Blues. He was recently spotted with owner Roman Abramovich and Hiddink taking in a Chelsea match while Montreal is on break for the MLS offseason.

The Impact admitted that it would be tough to retain Drogba and that negotiations had begun between the two parties by Jan. 1.

For Drogba, who joined the Impact midway through the 2015 season, Montreal offered a taste of glory once more. The Ivorian pushed his way to the top of the team's scoring charts and, in half a season, made a legitimate case for newcomer of the year, scoring 11 goals in as many league games.

It could be said that Drogba was set to dominate in the 2016 season. But his love of Chelsea has never been a secret and, as the Blues struggle in the Premier League this season, Hiddink's desire to add him to the coaching staff was apparently too difficult to ignore.

When he joined Montreal, a banner that once hung from Stamford Bridge followed suit. It seems Drogba's heart, too, never left Chelsea, even when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean.