Reports: German giants in for Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic this summer?
According to reports in Germany, Pep Guardiola has added Branislav Ivanovic to a small list of names as a potential summer transfer target as he looks to bolster his options ahead of next season.
With Phillip Lahm played as a holding midfielder under the Spaniard, there is an obvious need for experience and quality in the right back position that Lahm no longer adopts.
The German Newspaper Bild has been quoted as saying that they believe Ivanovic has become an important target for Bayern Munich and it will be interesting to see what happens.
Ivanovic did not have his best game on Sunday against Hull and was at fault for the first goal and partly to blame for the second. It's fair to say that in his time at Chelsea as a whole, he is prone to the odd shocker here and there but overall he is one of our most consistent performers.
Only recently Jose Mourinho talked him up as one of our best ever signings so he obviously thinks highly of him; so much so, Filipe Luis has struggled to oust Cesar Azpilicueta from the left back position because Ivanovic still occupies Azpi's normal side on the right!
Iva is 31 now and has a contract with Chelsea until the end of next season. There had also been talk of a new contract on the table for the Serbian defender but with Chelsea's policy of handing one year contracts to the over 30's at the club, Ivanovic could be tempted with a move to play in the Bundesliga.
So what of Mourinho and his insistence of playing Ivanovic at right back? Do we see that remaining the same next season or could we see Azpi and Luis play either side of the centre backs next term?
Although brutally strong and tough to play against, pace isn't on Ivanovic's side and that could go against him as he gets older. He has been caught out once or twice this season but his tackle for the first goal on Sunday was diabolical. He HAS TO do better there.
It will be interesting to see if there is any real substance to these reports and what happens in the summer.
What do you people think of Ivanovic at right back and a potential link to Bayern Munich?