Arsen Zakharyan to Chelsea: The latest

FT Desk

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 3 min read

Arsen Zakharyan is determined to become the first signing of the Graham Potter era at Chelsea, where he would compete for a midfield berth with the likes of Mason Mount and Kai Havertz.

Zakharyan was meant to join Chelsea from Dynamo Moscow in a €15 million deal last year, but the plug was pulled with FIFA and UEFA banning the transfer of Russia players against the backdrop of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Thomas Tuchel, the manager who first scouted the 19-year-old midfielder, has since been replaced by Potter, who arrived from Brighton, but Zakharyan is desperate to join Chelsea regardless of who is in the Stamford Bridge dugout.

READ: Should Chelsea regret keeping Bayern Munich target Kai Havertz?

"My agents and my club have told me that a request has come from Chelsea," Zakharyan told Russia's Comment Show on YouTube. "I've said directly that my position is that I want to join Chelsea.

"I know that there's good competition in my position with Mount, Havertz, [Conor] Gallagher, so I don't mind going on loan to adapt to the European league.

Chelsea spent big this summer - Todd Boehly's first transfer window as owner - dropping more than €280m on the likes of Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Wesley Fofana, and Zakharyan would have liked to have been among their number.

READ: The four midfield transfers Chelsea are targeting for next summer

"I was stressed because I wanted this transfer," he said. "Right now I have Chelsea and I want to go to Chelsea. I know that other clubs are interested in me, I'm proud of that, but I want to go to Chelsea."

How good is Zakharyan?

Since his move to Chelsea fell through, Zakharyan has buckled down and this season has three goals and five assists from 17 games in all competitions for Dynamo, where he voted Player of the Month in September.

A versatile attacking midfielder, he has earned comparisons with Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne due to his style of play. He is currently rated at €18m by Football Transfers' in-house algorithm.