Chelsea have officially confirmed the departure of defender Branislav Ivanovic to Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg.
The Serbian defender has put pen to paper on a contract running until the summer of 2019 with Zenit and bids farewell to Chelsea following a nine-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
Ivanovic slipped out of the starting eleven picture under Chelsea manager Antonio Conte this season and is now heading to Russia for a new challenge.
The 32-year-old made a whopping 376 appearances for Chelsea during the course of his time in England and had also been linked with a move to another Premier League club in the shape of Everton.
The defender's contract was due to expire this coming summer and Chelsea have not disclosed the amount Zenit are paying for Ivanovic.
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He joins a side sitting in second spot in the Russian Premier League and fighting for the title.
Zenit are five points adrift of league leaders Spartak Moscow and three points clear of third placed CSKA Moscow.
Ivanovic's new club finished third in the Russian top flight last season.
