Branislav Ivanovic has ended his long tenure at Chelsea after sealing a transfer to Russian club Zenit St Petersburg.
The full-back has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Zenit, and will move to Russia on a free transfer where he will earn £82,000-a-week. He arrived at Chelsea from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2008.
West Brom had been keen to recruit the 32-year-old on loan, with Baggies boss Tony Pulis attending Chelsea's FA Cup fourth-round win over Brentford on Saturday - a game Ivanovic scored in.
But Pulis insists he was never interested in Ivanovic, and the defender has now brought to a close his nine-year spell at Stamford Bridge during which the Serbia international has won eight major trophies including the Champions League.
A statement released on Zenit's official website read: "The blue-white-sky blues are delighted to welcome Branislav Ivanovic to St. Petersburg and we’re sure he will be a huge success at Zenit!"
Chelsea paid tribute to the defender's service, saying that he will always be a 'true blue'.
A statement read: "Highly valued by both team-mates and supporters, Ivanovic will undoubtedly go down as one of the Chelsea greats.
"Big goals, big moments and the biggest prizes. He will always be a true Blue."
