Chelsea defender in talks over surprise Russia return

Branislav Ivanovic has been strong linked with a return to Russian football in today’s papers.

The Daily  Mail are among the sources claiming that the 32 year old will depart Chelsea for Zenit St Petersburg as soon as this weekend.

Everton, Leicester and West Ham have all been in contact over a potential switch but Zenit are keen to steal a march on their rivals by making a concrete offer sooner rather than later.

Ivanovic has been at Stamford Bridge since 2008 and has won it all in his time at Chelsea, becoming a cult hero in the process.

Antonio Conte has used the Serbian defender regularly as a defensive substitute but has not found a place in the starting lineup for the former Lokotmotiv Moscow man in the league since the switch to a 343 formation following the loss to Arsenal.

Ivanovic has only 6 months left to run on his current deal, and given his close ties to Roman Abramovic he may be allowed to terminate it early to facilitate a free transfer.

 

Chelsea News