Chelsea have offered Branislav Ivanovic a lucrative new deal worth £90,000 a week
The Serbian defender, who helped Chelsea get to the Capital One Cup final last week despite a huge gash in his foot that left his boot filled with blood, is handling the talks over a new one-year contract all by himself.
The 31-year-old's offer is in line with the club's policy of only giving players over 30 12-month contracts. Skipper John Terry is set to agree a similar deal in the few weeks.
Ivanovic, who has dismissed the idea of using an agent, has been a key player for Chelsea for seven years since he joined from Lokomotiv Moscow for a bargain £9million.
He has scored six goals this season, including the only goal against Liverpool in the semi-final second leg, and the winner in the Europa League final in 2013.
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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has described Ivanovic as one of the club's best ever signings, calling the defender "a competitive animal with a big heart".
Ivanovic, whose current deal runs out at the end of this season, has now scored 31 goals in eight seasons at Stamford Bridge.
He was targeted by Italian club Fiorentina last year as talks over a new deal stalled, but is known to want to stay in London.
Chelsea, as Express Sport revealed on Friday, have also offered fellow Serb Nemanja Matic an improved £4.8million-a-year deal even though he has only been back at the club for a year.
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