OFFICIAL: Branislav Ivanovic joins Zenit St Petersburg from Chelsea
Branislav Ivanovic has left Chelsea to join Russian club Zenit St Petersburg on a two-and-a-half year deal.
The 32-year-old defender leaves Stamford Bridge after winning nine trophies in nine years with the Blues.
A statement published on Zenit’s official website said the two clubs had agreed the switch, for an undisclosed fee, of a player whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season.
Ivanovic made 376 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea since his arrival in 2008, and won the Premier League title twice, the FA Cup three times, the Champions League – although he missed the 2012 final due to suspension – and the Europa League with the Blues.
However, he has experienced a reduced role under new manager Antonio Conte, and has featured in just 13 league outings this term.
HIs last goals for the Blues came in Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat of Brentford.
Zenit, who are managed by Mircea Lucescu, are 17 games into their Russian Premier League campaign and sit five points behind Spartak Moscow.
IT’S OFFICIAL- Branislav Ivanovic is a Zenit player!
✍More details here: https://t.co/rlXQCYEdiT pic.twitter.com/I2DhHkdYoG— FC Zenit in English (@fczenit_en) February 1, 2017
