Soccer-Bulgaria defender Ivanov to return to Lokomotiv

SOFIA, March 10 (Reuters) - Bulgaria defender Ivan Ivanov will rejoin Lokomotiv Plovdiv next week in a bid to resurrect his flagging career with the 2004 national champions, the club said on Thursday. "We have reached an agreement with Ivan and he'll sign a one-and-a-half-year contract," Lokomotiv owner Hristo Krusharski told local media. The 28-year-old centre back, capped 40 times by Bulgaria, suffered a series of injuries after joining Basel from Partizan Belgrade in 2013 and played only 18 times. In December, he was released from the Swiss club by mutual consent. Ivanov, Bulgaria's Footballer of the Year in 2013, played for Lokomotiv during the 2007-2008 season. Lokomotiv are seventh in the Bulgarian league with 21 points from 21 games. (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; editing by Clare Fallon)