Chelsea are in negotiations to sign defender Sead Kolasinac from German club Schalke after Branislav Ivanovic agreed to join Zenit St Petersburg, writes Matt Law.

Kolasinac had been expected to join Juventus, the former club of Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte, but the Blues have now jumped to the front of the queue.

Despite the fact he is available on a free transfer when his Schalke contract expires at the end of the season, Chelsea are working on a deal to land Kolasinac before this month’s transfer window shuts on Tuesday night.

Kolasinac has won 17 caps for Bosnia, having previously played at Under-20 level for Germany, and can play at left-back, centre back or even in central midfield which would give Conte plenty of options for the remainder of the season.

Zenit offered Ivanovic a two-and-a-half-year contract worth around £80,000-a-week to beat off Premier League interest in the defender.

Despite his form declining over the past 18 months, Ivanovic will go down as one of Chelsea’s best signings in the Roman Abramovich era.

After joining for £9.7million, Ivanovic became one of the best right-backs in Europe and won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup, the Europa League and the Champions League with Chelsea.

“I think he played a lot of games for this club, he won a lot for this club,” said Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte. “He's 32 and, I think, he can play for many (more) years.

“He's able to continue his career in the right way at the top level, yes. It's important also to respect the decision of the player, above all for this type of player - a legend of the club. If you are not playing a lot, you can decide to go in another team. But I have great respect for him and for this type of player.”

Asked if he is sad to see Ivanovic go, Conte added: “Yes, for sure. When you start the season, working with a squad and a group of players, for sure you try to create a link between the players and my staff and me. For sure, we are sorry if someone decides to go away. The same for Oscar, for example. Also for Mikel. But we know this is football, and we are prepared for every situation.”