Midfielder Arsen Zakharyan has been a long-term target for Chelsea
Highly rated Russian football player Arsen Zakharyan is set to join Spanish side Real Sociedad from Dynamo Moscow, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on Saturday. He added that several teams had been interested in sealing a deal to sign the creative midfielder but the Basque club are on the verge of completing the transfer.
“Real Sociedad are closing in on the final details of Arsen Zacharyan deal,” football transfer specialist Romano wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. “More than four clubs wanted him this summer but Real are now really close.”
Romano also stated that details are in the final stages of being agreed for what is expected to be a €13 million ($14.25 million) transfer, in addition to performance-related add-ons.
Marcel Licka, head coach of Russian Premier League side Dynamo Moscow, also indicated that the transfer of the 20-year-old was near, claiming that the Zacharyan is practically a “Sociedad player.”
Last year, Premier League giants Chelsea – who have retained long-term interest in the youngster – attempted to sign Zakharyan, but the deal fell through due to rules from football’s governing bodies, UEFA and FIFA, placing restrictions on signing Russian players.
Russian football teams, both club and international, remain on the periphery of the sport due to sanctions imposed by various sporting federations following the onset of Moscow’s military action in Ukraine last year.
Reports last year said Zakharyan had considered changing his citizenship from Russian to Armenian in order to bypass restrictions to what would have been a high-profile move to Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. However, the Football Federation of Armenia denied having any contact with the player.
Among the teams that Zakharyan had been linked to during the summer transfer window was French side Strasbourg; whom Chelsea’s owners recently purchased as part of the Londons side’s ‘multi-club’ strategy designed to give young players competitive experience before possibly moving to West London.
His impending transfer to Spain will see him compete in this season’s UEFA Champions League, after Real Sociedad qualified for Europe’s most prestigious club competition having secured an impressive fourth-placed finish in La Liga last season.
Zakharyan won the first of his seven caps for the Russian national team in 2021. He was named Dynamo’s Player of the Season in each of the past two campaigns in the Russian top flight.
