Russia's player Arsen Zakharyan attends a training session at the team's base in Novogorsk. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
As per Evening Standard, RC Strasbourg, sister club of Chelsea, are planning talks to sign former Blues target and Dynamo Moscow playmaker Arsen Zakharyan.
It is revealed that the young Russian midfielder will be offered a chance to play for a season at Strasbourg before moving to Chelsea next summer via the multi-club system under the Todd Boehly regime.
Moscow are holding out for a fee close to £10m to sell Zakharyan. Italian side Lazio are also interested in the Russian international. They can offer Champions League football next season.
Chelsea were close to signing the 20-year-old last summer itself, but the UK imposition on Russian finances due to the war made it a difficult deal to complete.
After missing out on a move to Stamford Bridge last summer, Zakharyan made 37 appearances in all competitions for Moscow, scoring five goals and assisting 10 (Transfermarkt).
The 20-year-old is a highly versatile midfield player whose primary position is at number 10. But, he has operated as a winger on either side or as an attacking number eight in a three-man midfield.
The idea that Chelsea are effectively buying Zakharyan for Strasbourg before getting him next season is not a bad one. The Russian can play a season in France where his performances would be monitored by the relevant people in west London.
If all things go well, he would pack his bags and come to Chelsea next summer. Sounds simple, but no transfer is easy to make, especially when a club has this idea in mind.
The question is whether the player is comfortable with this, or does he want a Chelsea move here and now? Let’s see what happens in the coming days. It doesn’t seem like a bad idea for any party if the Russian player eventually finds his way to west London, where he may have struggled for playing time right now anyway.
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