MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 22:45:42| >> :60:2274:2274:

West Brom closing in on deal for former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic

The Baggies are chasing their sixth signing of the summer.

West Brom boss Slaven Bilic is confident of signing former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic – and the deal could even be completed on Friday.

The 36-year old, who can play at right-back or centre-back, is a free agent after leaving Russian side Zenit St Petersburg in the summer.

Ivanovic would bring a wealth of Premier League experience to the newly promoted Baggies, having won the title three times with Chelsea, for whom he made almost 400 appearances over nine years at Stamford Bridge.

The Serbia international is undergoing a medical at West Brom's training ground and Bilic said: "It's very close. Hopefully it will be done later, in a matter of hours.

"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."

Since leaving Chelsea, Ivanovic has spent the last three and a half years at Zenit, where he won two Russian league titles and a Russian Cup. He is expected to sign a one-year contract with the Baggies.

Bilic also confirmed that he is trying to sign midfielder Filip Krovinovic on a permanent deal from Benfica, following the 25-year-old's season-long loan spell at The Hawthorns last season.

"As well as new signings we also wanted to keep the loan players from last season, those we wanted to," said the Baggies boss.

"We signed Grady (Diangana) and Callum Robinson and we are doing everything to sign Krovinovic too. That is not easy to do, especially in these circumstances with coronavirus.

"It is not easy to get the players that you want, but we are trying and hopefully we can do it."

ID:413931: cacheID:413931:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3435:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Leeds United players celebrate winning promotion to the Premier League in July 2020
Read Next:
Premier League: Liverpool face tough examination by Leeds United
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!