Chelsea sell defender Ivanovic to Zenit

Serbian international Branislav Ivanovic has ended his eight-year association with Chelsea by completing a move to Zenit St Petersburg.

The Russian club confirmed his arrival on Wednesday after the defender dropped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

The 32-year-old defender, who made 376 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea since he moved to Stamford Bridge in 2008, had also been linked to Everton before the transfer deadline.

Ivanovic won the Premier League title twice, the FA Cup three times, the Champions League - although he missed the 2012 final due to suspension - and the Europa League with the Blues.

He featured in 13 league outings for Chelsea this term, scoring his last goal for Antonio Conte's table-toppers in Saturday's 4-0 FA Cup defeat of Brentford.

Zenit, who are managed by Mircea Lucescu, are 17 games into their Russian Premier League campaign and sit five points behind Spartak Moscow.