Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic will reportedly turn down a January exit from the club and continue to fight for his place with a view of earning a contract extension.
According to The Daily Mail, Serie A giants Juventus had been monitoring the veteran defender’s situation at Stamford Bridge with a view of making a move in January.
Ivanovic would have likely been available for a cut-price deal given that his contract expires at the end of the season, but it appears as though he has no plans to leave Chelsea until he knows that there is no possible chance of earning a new deal.
The 32-year-old arrived in west London from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2008 and has gone to make over 250 Premier League appearances for the club.
However, his opportunities have been limited under Antonio Conte so far this season, with the Italian tactician settling on a 3-4-3 system in recent months with Ivanovic not part of his starting line-up.
In turn, it has led to suggestions that the stalwart may be better off considering his other options, and a move to Turin with Juve wouldn’t exactly be a bad move for his career.
Nevertheless, as per Bleacher Report, it’s claimed that he will continue to fight for his place at Chelsea and will only leave the club in the summer once he knows that there is no chance that he will earn a new contract extension.
That may well be a disappointment to the club who could have possibly got something for Ivanovic rather than lose him for nothing at the end of the season, but there is still plenty of time for the situation to change and he may well have a chance to prove his worth to Conte.