Chelsea are “back in the race” to bring Dynamo Moscow attacking midfielder Arsen Zakharyan to the Premier League, according to reliable journalist Nizaar Kinsella.
Is Arsen Zakharyan leaving Dynamo Moscow?
The Russia international’s contract is set to expire in less than a year meaning that now will be Marcel Licka’s final opportunity to cash in should he not want to lose his prized asset for free, and having emerged as his club’s overall second best-performing player so far this season with a WhoScored match rating of 7.41, he won’t be short of potential suitors should he depart.
The VTB Arena’s academy graduate reportedly agreed a deal to join the Blues last summer, but the switch fell through due to UK sanctions amid his nation’s ongoing war with Ukraine, though that didn’t stop Todd Boehly from keeping a close eye on his target for Mauricio Pochettino.
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Writing in his column for CaughtOffside in January, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that the SW6 outfit maintain an admiration for the 20-year-old, who would be keen to complete the move to Stamford Bridge. He said:
“Chelsea are still interested in signing Zakharyan, for sure. He’s one of the talents they are following, but Chelsea are working on many deals so the timing cannot always be fast, that’s absolutely normal. The player would love to join Chelsea.”
Are Chelsea signing Arsen Zakharyan?
Taking to Twitter, Kinsella revealed that Chelsea, even now, are still looking to land Zakharyan, and could do so with the help of their sister-club Strasbourg. He wrote:
“Chelsea are back in the race to sign Arsen Zakharyan, albeit through Strasbourg.”
According to Kinsella in The Evening Standard, Strasbourg have recruited agent Rafaela Pimenta to “win” the battle for the central talisman, who has a £12.6m release clause included in his deal.
The Dynamo Moscow star is “increasingly attracted” to the multi-club project, and with chiefs in the capital having “long been admirers” of their target, they are “stocking” the Ligue 1 side with players that “may someday be capable of making the switch” to the Premier League.
How good is Arsen Zakharyan?
Chelsea are clearly serious about signing Zakharyan one way or another having made yet another move for him, and it’s no surprise having previously been dubbed “outrageous” by talent scout Jacek Kulig. Should he put pen to paper, the attacking midfielder would be an excellent addition for the long-term future of the club.
In the Premier Liga last season, the Samara native posted 13 goal contributions (nine assists and four goals) in 27 appearances, whilst averaging 2.8 key passes per game, highlighting the prolific impact he makes in the final third when it comes to creating chances for himself and his fellow teammates.
Zakharyan, who received his division’s Best Young Player award in 2021, would also provide the boss with wonderful versatility having operated in six different positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the centre and out wide on the left wing, so this is a no-brainer of a deal to complete should the opportunity present itself.