Chelsea transfer target Arsen Zakharyan is still hoping to pen a deal at Stamford Bridge after a deadline day exit from Dynamo Moscow collapsed. The 19-year-old wonderkid was heavily linked with a move to west London late in the summer transfer window as Thomas Tuchel looked to bolster his midfield amid a handful of injuries.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Blues submitted a bid for the teenage sensation. Speaking to RB Sport, as quoted by SportsKeeda, Zakharyan's agent, Pavel Andreev, confirmed that his client was close to joining the Blues. Andreev said: "It's true, a €15million (£12.6million) deal is close."
It's said Todd Boehly wanted to wrap up a deal for Zakharyan quickly, but Chelsea faced a number of complications. which eventually saw negotiations collapse. Due to British sanctions placed on Russia, as well as various other rules and regulations set by FIFA on the transfers of Russia or Ukraine-based players, a move proved too difficult to complete with time running out in the window.
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However, Zakharyan is still hopeful of joining Chelsea in January. Speaking to the Evening Standard, he said: "There was an offer, but it just didn't work out. You probably know the reasons.
"How could I refuse? Of course, I agreed [to the move]. I hope everything will be fine, perhaps [it will happen] in the winter [window]. Of course, the level there is much higher than in the Russian Premier League, but everything is possible. Maybe it would work there. I could always go on loan."
Zakharyan played 34 games for Dynamo last season across all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing a further eight assists in 29 Premier Liga appearances. Boehly has made it clear that he wants to protect Tuchel's squad heading into future seasons by signing talented youngsters now, allowing them to develop at the club or out on loan.
The Russia international would have been the sixth teenager to pen a deal at Cobham since the end of last season, following the arrivals of Omari Hutchinson, Zak Sturge, Gabriel Slonina, Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka.
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