Chelsea given warning over transfer interest regarding 18-year-old Russian starlet

Chelsea handed a huge setback in pursuit of FC Dynamo Moscow youngster Arsen Zakharyan

In conversation with KP Sport (h/t Football.London), Dynamo Moscow director Sergey Stephasin opines that Arsen Zakharyan is still very young and should play in Russia for another 2-3 years amidst interest from Chelsea.

The teenager still has a long way to go but it already drumming up interest from some big clubs in England. Apart from Chelsea, Manchester City were also being linked to the young midfielder.

Zakharyan has managed to score five goals and provide 12 assists in 27 matches across all competitions for the Russian club till now. While these may be impressive stats for a teenager there is still a long way to go and the next few years could be crucial in his development as a professional footballer.

Stephasin highlighted the need to cultivate their young talent in a proper manner rather than succumbing to pressure from the bigger clubs:

“No, these are agent games [the transfer rumours]. He is still a young man. He still has to grow and grow.I believe that Arsen can play in Russia for another two to three years. Time must pass for a footballer to succeed. And when he turns 21, it’s just right… Look, almost no one plays well abroad from our country now. Maybe only Golovin.”

The Blues already have a studded lineup with Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, and Mateo Kovacic being the preferred choices. It would certainly be difficult for the 18-year-old to break into the first team at the moment. Adapting to the English Premier League is hard in itself, but things could get even more tricker for a teenager who has come from abroad.

According to The Express in mid-September this year, the Russian teenager has a clause in his agreement which means that foreign clubs can sign him for £12.8m next summer. This piece also goes on to suggest that Barcelona are another big player that is really interested in the 18-year-old midfielder.

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Despite all these rumours in the past, the club from Moscow has made its stance pretty clear. The teenager would take some time to settle and could be viewed as more of a long-term acquisition for the London-based club. That being said it seems as though any move for the Russian starlet is very difficult at the moment for the Blues.