Speculation linking Ivanovic with Chelsea departure to Inter
Published:Chelsea’s struggles to find room at the heart of their defence for Branislav Ivanovic could lead to the Serbian leaving for Bayern Munich or Inter Milan in the near future.
Ivanovic still has 18 months to run on his contract at Stamford Bridge and will no doubt be keen to win the Premier League for the second time, with Chelsea’s betting odds currently 7/4 to bridge the two-point deficit on table-toppers Arsenal.
However, speculation suggests that Ivanovic may be unlikely to agree an extension as he struggles to permanently dislodge Alex and John Terry from the central defensive positions.
Carlo Ancelotti has instead preferred to operate Ivanovic at right-back, which has worked well for the team but is not where the 26-year-old would choose to operate.
Ivanovic’s agent Dejan Joksimovic has revealed that everything is still only rumours at present, but the Serbian will weigh up all his options when it comes to negotiate a new contract.
He said: “The English club itself is fine, the only problem Ivanovic has is his position.
“At the appropriate time we will talk with Chelsea, if he is offered a renewal and we agree on all aspects then he will sign. But if not, at that point, we will consider the possibility of moving to maybe a great club like Inter.”
Inter would particularly benefit from a younger defender as many of their current stars are pressing on age wise.
Lucio, Walter Samuel, Ivan Cordoba and Marco Materazzi are in their 30s and this could prove problematic in the longer term.
It may also be a short-term problem as Inter are ten points off top spot in the Serie A standings in fifth position.
This has resulted in their price to claim a sixth straight title lengthen to 9/2.
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