He’s failed to start Chelsea’s last two Premier League fixtures and now, West Ham United are eyeing up a swoop for Blues full back Branislav Ivanovic, report The Mirror.
A veteran of over 250 top flight appearances for Chelsea, Ivanovic is reportedly weighing up offers from the Far East and the Premier League with his contract up in the summer.
Now 32-years-old, Ivanovic is still a viable option for the Hammers at right back with all of Sam Byram, Alvaro Arbeloa and Michail Antonio having not really made the position their own so far this term.
The Mirror’s report also claims that other interested parties include London rivals Crystal Palace, Inter Milan and Marseille as well as Chinese Super League outfit Jiangsu Suning.
With the player already made aware of the interest from China, any transfer to Jiangsu Suning would reunite Ivanovic with Ramires who joined from Chelsea for £25 million back in January.
Given his current contractual situation, it remains to be seen whether Antonio Conte’s Blues will aim to receive a fee for the long-serving Serb in January while avoiding losing him on a free in the summer.
With Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill starting Chelsea’s 0-2 weekend win over Southampton, it would appear that Ivanovic isn’t a part of the Italian’s 3-4-3 system right now.