West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic has confirmed that Branislav Ivanovic is set to join the club in the upcoming hours.
"It's very close. Hopefully, it will be done later, in a matter of hours," the manager said, as quoted by Sky Sports. "He would be a great addition for us, a team who is newly promoted in the Premier League. He ticks all the boxes for us.
"He's done everything in his career - it's been magnificent. We'd be delighted. First of all, he will add quality, also his experience on the pitch and off the pitch.
"So it is not only him, it is him plus the influence he will have on not just defenders but the whole team around him. That's why we targeted him as one of our prime targets. It would be a great signing for us."
Ivanovic is a truly iconic player for Chelsea. The Serbian arrived at Stamford Bridge on a €13m move from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow back in January 2008.
In his nine and a half seasons with the Blues, Brano made 377 appearances, scored 34 goals and won 10 trophies, including three Premier League titles and a Champions League.
In February 2017, Ivanovic left Chelsea for free to come back to Russia signing for Zenit Saint Petersburg. The full-back won two Russian league titles and a Russian cup in three-and-a-half years at the club.
