Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic set to sign new one-year contract at Stamford Bridge despite interest from Manchester City
The defender’s existing deal is due to run out at the end of the season, and he has been linked with a move away from west London
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic is prepared to sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge in the coming days despite reported interest from Manchester City, Inter Milan and Fiorentina.
The Sun have revealed that the 34-year-old has finally agreed to a new one-year deal that carries an option of a further 12 months if the player features in a specific number of games next season.
The Serbian was originally holding out for a two-year offer, but officials at the west London club have firmly stood by their policy of not tabling contracts longer than 12 months for players over 30 years of age. It was the same stance that saw record goalscorer Frank Lampard leave Chelsea for New York – and subsequently Manchester City on loan – for nothing in 2014.
With only five months of his current deal left to run, a host of foreign sides including AC Milan, Galatasaray and Zenit Saint Petersburg have been linked with signing Ivanovic on a free transfer, but now the Daily Mail suggest that it is Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Manchester City who are again keeping the closest eye on how talks develop between the player and the Stamford Bridge club.
The right-back has been one of the Blues’ outstanding performers in recent years, but his displays during the first half of this season came in for criticism as Chelsea found themselves languishing in the bottom echelons of the table. However, since the return of manager Guus Hiddink, the fortunes of both Ivanovic and the side have improved.
Ivanovic joined Avram Grant’s Chelsea in 2008 from Lokomotiv Moscow for a fee of £9m, and has gone on to play more than 300 games in his time in the capital, winning two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the Europa League and the Champions League.
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