Chelsea confirmed yesterday that they have agreed a £9 million deal with Lokomotiv Moscow for Branislav Ivanovic. The Serbia defender had been granted a work permit, a club statement said, and is expected at Stamford Bridge for a medical today.

Ivanovic is comfortable anywhere in the back four, playing primarily as a right back for Lokomotiv, but he is likely to start at centre back for Chelsea as John Terry continues to recover from a broken foot. The 23-year-old is Avram Grant’s second signing during the transfer window as he seeks to strengthen a squad disrupted by injuries and the African Cup of Nations.

The first-team coach will, however, have been disturbed to hear that his dream strike partnership of Nicolas Anelka, his first signing, and Didier Drogba could only be temporary. In the latest of many outbursts, the Ivory Coast striker reaffirmed his desire to leave the club and spoke of his dream of playing alongside Samuel Eto’o at Barcelona. “Any striker in my situation would say they’d be really happy to get the chance to play alongside Samuel. I don’t see why it should not happen,” Drogba said.

“He is indispensable to Barcelona. When José Mourinho learnt that Samuel wasn’t playing against us in our Champions League game in October 2006, he told us, ‘We’ve won.’ We know only too well what he can do and Mourinho even tried to bring him to Chelsea at one point.”

The 29-year-old has repeatedly said that he wants to leave Chelsea since Mourinho was replaced in September. A move to Barcelona is unlikely, because they have Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, but Real Madrid and AC Milan have expressed interest.