AS Monaco Set Sights on Chelsea Hero Ivanovic

Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic has been a consistent performer for Chelsea in the last few years. He was signed for £9 million in 2008, but he struggled to get game time initially. The departures of players like Ricardo Carvalho and Alex coupled with the decline of John Terry has made the 29-year-old as one of the important defenders at the club. The 2012-13 season saw the best of the 29-year-old, as he was a first-team regular throughout the season.

Despite the gruelling schedule, Ivanovic featured regularly at centre back and right back. His versatility along with his ability to score goals from set pieces have been invaluable for Chelsea. According to Daily Mail, French club Monaco interested in signing him after failing to get Vincent Kompany from Manchester City.

AS Monaco are the latest big players in the transfer window. They are set to splash out on James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho from FC Porto. The two players could cost in the region of £60 million, while the club also appear close to a £60 million move for Radamel Falcao.

The club are not expected to stop spending following the arrival of these three players, as former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri has also targeted a raid of his former club. As good as Ivanovic has been for Chelsea in recent years, it is believed that the club would consider an extremely good for the player, who is approaching his 30s.

Monaco could offer around £25 million, which would represent a huge profit for the West London outfit.

Ivanovic, though, is not the primary transfer target for the club. They set their sights on Belgian defender Vincent Kompany, who is apparently unhappy at Manchester City, but they have failed in a bid for the 27-year-old. Ivanovic is a solid defender and it remains to be seen if the next Chelsea manager – possibly José Mourinho – will want to lose him.