Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, who has thus far endured a torrid season at Chelsea, has been linked to Inter Milan.
Inter’s boss Roberto Mancini has expressed great interest in luring the lately criticised right back from Stamford Bridge, with Mourinho looking to axe several of his overaged, under-performing players.
Ivanovic’s current contract expires next summer and the fact that Chelsea follow a stringent policy of handing one-year deals to players over 30 increases Inter’s chances of securing a deal.
Latest reports from The Daily Mirror confirm that a two-year deal would be given to the Serbian, with the player’s agent also reported to be interested in the deal. Many expected Chelsea to hand him a new contract but now that he has lost his place in the side through some awful performances and strong intrinsic competition, a move to San Siro looks likely.
For Chelsea, they seem to be fatigued with the perfomances of some of their older statesmen, including Ivanovic and John Terry. They look set to invest heavily in the winter transfer market to bolster their defensive and attacking stocks, which need some new talent to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to make the top four.
For Ivanovic, who has been a loyal servant at Stamford Bridge since 2008, it could be the right time to bid farewell and start a new campaign to re-launch his career.
For Inter, it would be an ideal move as they look to cement their grip at the top of the Serie A table, with a meagre six points separating them and fifth-placed Juventus. Ivanovic’s addition would futher strengthen their defensive structure with Nemanja Vidic, Martin Montoya and Danilo D’Ambrosio patrolling their central defence.
Ivanovic’s quality to play well in the flanks and make forward runs would add a clinical flavour to Inter’s strong midfield which includes the likes of Felipe Melo, Enrico Baldini and Ricky Alvarez.
Ivanovic, who was named in the PFA Premier League team for 2014-2015, suffered a string of dismal performances which saw Chelsea flounder in defence, conceding 10 goals in the opening four matches. It ultimately culminated with his forcible exit from the starting XI.
Although he has recently acquired the captaincy badge from Terry, simply on the account of being an experienced campaigner, Ivanovic might be tempted to make a move to Inter.
Unlike Chelsea they are playing for the Scudetto, and sit just one point off Napoli in second place.
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