Branislav Ivanović would welcome Jose Mourinho back to Chelsea

Branislav Ivanović admits that it would be “a pleasure” to welcome Jose Mourinho back to Chelsea amid reports linking the Portuguese coach with a return to Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho’s weekend trip to London has fuelled speculation suggesting that the Real Madrid boss could be set to take over from Blues interim coach Rafael Benitez in the summer.

And defender Ivanović would be thrilled to see the 50-year-old, who led Chelsea to two Premier League titles between 2004 and 2007, return to the west London club.

“For a top club, for a big club like Chelsea, we need the best from the players and from the manager and maybe one day it will be a pleasure to work with him,” Ivanović told Sky Sports.

“We’ll see. You never know and it’s not time for us to speak.

“But the players who worked with him said he was a success.

“This is a very, very important thing. He said Chelsea is his home and he loves the club [and] this is something positive and [brings a] good atmosphere.”