Milan Linked With Possible Move for Chelsea Fullback Branislav Ivanovic

With the transfer window now open in Italy, Milan and Inter could both be making a run at Chelsea fullback Branislav Ivanovic.

The 32-year-old defender is reportedly a January target for the Rossoneri, according to The Mirror. The link comes weeks after news of Inter's interest in the Serbian surfaced.

According to that ESPN report, it appears Inter will pursue him on a pre-contract basis, bringing him in for next season.

Prior to this season, Ivanovic was considered one of the best defenders in the Premier League. With Chelsea's struggles this year, he has fallen off a bit. He has made 204 defensive actions, the fourth most on the team. Going forward, he has made the fifth-most passes on the team, but he is 16th in passing accuracy at 81 percent.

Ivanovic has six months left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, so now is the time for Milan to make a move if it so desires. Come the summer, when Ivanovic's contract expires, he will have several suitors, as Chelsea is unlikely to qualify for European competition. The Blues are in 14th place, 10 points out of a European position with 18 matches to play.

Milan has been playing thin at fullback all season. Right now, Ignazio Abate, Mattia De Sciglio and Luca Antonelli are the only reliable options week to week. Davide Calabria has stepped up at times, but his youth and inexperience have made it tough for Sinisa Mihajlovic to rely on him regularly, even when Milan has dealt with injury issues at fullback.