The 23-year-old international signed a three-year deal, which is believed to be around £9M.

"It is the dream of every footballer to want to move on and improve yourself and the ultimate is to play for such a big team as this," he was quoted by Chelsea's official site.

Ivanovic has been impressive for both club and country over the past couple of years, grabbing the attention of some of Europe's top sides.

The highly-rated defender is the Blues' second winter break hit, following the arrival of Nicolas Anleka from Bolton last week.