West Bromwich Albion have made a tempting offer for Branislav Ivanovic, but the three-time Premier League champion would choose Fulham or Everton over a move to The Hawthorns, according to B92.
It is not often a 36-year-old free agent finds himself in such high demand.
But, then again, there are few players on the market with a CV like Ivanovic’s.
Before you suggest that the Chelsea hero is a man past his prime, consider this: he captained Zenit St Petersburg to the Russian title as recently as July.
Ivanovic is now available for nothing after his contract at the Gazprom Arena expired, and B92 back up claims from Championat suggesting that newly-promoted West Brom have entered negotiations.
Unfortunately for Slaven Bilic, the Baggies are third in Ivanovic’s pecking order, behind Fulham and Everton.
During nine trophy-laden years at Chelsea, the 105-capped Serbia international made a home for himself in West London, and Scott Parker’s Fulham will offer him the chance to return to familiar surroundings.
A move to Goodison Park, however, would see Ivanovic reunite with his former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti, the charming grandfather of European football who has already been reunited with two of his favourite sons this summer: Allan and James Rodriguez.
“Ancelotti is very different. If players had a choice, I guess they would prefer to spend the entire career with Carlo. He is very calm and takes all the negative aspects on him, allowing the players to be comfortable,” Ivanovic told ESPN in 2017.
West Brom can at least hang their hat on the fact that they are the only Premier League club to have actually made a serious offer so far for the rampaging right-back turned centre-half collosus.
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