The transfer window closed for English clubs last night but it remains open elsewhere in the world, including Russia.
Branislav Ivanovic has today joined Zenit St Petersburg following a wonderful nine-year Chelsea career… https://t.co/Hkzcc98BRj
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 1, 2017
And Russian side Zenit St Petersburg have taken advantage of that fact by completing the signing of Serbia defender Branislav Ivanovic from Chelsea today.
Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic was the first of Ivanovic’s former Chelsea teammates to wish him well on Instagram.
Ivanovic has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Zenit, who will pay him £82,000 per week, according to the London Evening Standard.
That equates to a salary of £4.264m.
Ivanovic won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup and two major European trophies with Chelsea.
He was suspended for the Champions League final in 2012, but made up for that by scoring the winner as Chelsea won the Europa League 12 months later.
Begovic, himself was linked with a winter move away from Stamford Bridge – with The Express reporting on a possible move to Watford last night – but he remains at Stamford Bridge to provide backup to first-choice stopper Thibaut Courtois.