Arsen Zakharyan's move to Chelsea has been BLOCKED by sanctions

Russian club Dynamo Moscow reveal Arsen Zakharyan’s £12.6m transfer to Chelsea has been BLOCKED by British sanctions…making a deal ‘impossible’ despite agreement between the teams

  • Arsen Zakharyan was set to join Chelsea from Dynamo Moscow for £12.6m 
  • However, the move for the Russian star has been blocked by British sanctions
  • The midfielder is seen as one of the most talented young players in Russia 
  • The sanctions mean that Chelsea are unable to transfer the funds to Dynamo 

Arsen Zakharyan’s impending transfer from Dynamo Moscow to Chelsea has been blocked by British sanctions on Russia – despite the two clubs agreeing a fee. 

Thomas Tuchel’s side were expected to boost their midfield with the signing of the 19-year-old Russian star.

Chelsea had activated the midfielder’s £12.6m release clause, with Zakharyan seen as one of Russia’s most talented young players.

The Blues were set to sign Russian teenager Arsen Zakharyan (right) from Dynamo Moscow 

Thomas Tuchel hoped to bolster his options before the move was blocked by British sanctions

However, Dynamo have revealed that the move was blocked due to the sanctions Britain has placed on Russia in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, with the issue arising due to the need to transfer funds to a club in Russia.

Under the terms of the British sanctions on the economy in Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, Chelsea may have struggled to pay for the transfer, given the money would be going to a club in the country.

It would have also been difficult for Zakharyan to be given a work permit, which is a matter for the Home Office.

FIFA’s rules on signing Russian players during the war added another layer of complication to the potential deal. 

In a statement on their club website, Dynamo said: ‘On August 25 we received an offer from Chelsea for Arsen Zakharyan. 

19-year-old midfielder Zakharyan is seen as one of the most talented young players in Russia 

‘For several days, there have been intense negotiations between Dynamo and Chelsea, in which our club took a constructive position. 

‘However, it is not possible to transfer a player in this summer transfer window for a number of technical reasons beyond our control.’   

The issue was confirmed by renowned agent Rafaela Pimenta who told Sport Express: ‘Today, it is impossible to close the transfer of Zakharyan in the summer transfer window.

‘This transfer is not frozen until winter, but it is possible. Now we are still working to ensure that Dinamo can get money from Chelsea.’

Chelsea have signed other young stars this summer including Carney Chukwuemeka for £20m

New owner and interim sporting director Todd Boehly is reportedly keen to add youthful talent 

Zakharyan scored nine goals and registered nine assists in 34 appearances for Dynamo last season, and has already been linked with a number of high-profile clubs.  

The move for the Russian star comes as part of the ‘Vision 2030’ strategy that the new owners, led by Todd Boehly, have bought into.

With the Blues’ squad consisting of several players over the age of 30, the club are aware it needs freshening up with further youthful talent.

This has already been seen with the signing of Aston Villa’s Carney Chukwuemeka for £20m, after the midfielder excelled for England at the Under-19 Euros, while Omari Hutchinson joined from Arsenal, Cesare Casadei moved from Inter Milan and 18-year-old goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina arrived from Chicago Fire.

The Boehly-Clearlake group have reportedly tasked Chelsea academy director Neil Bath with taking the academy to the next level and he has been giving significant financial backing to sign the best young players around the world.

Boehly’s consortium took over the club from former owner Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch who was sanctioned by the UK government over his links to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Chelsea was sold for a total of £4.25billion. Of the total investment being made, £2.5bn was applied to purchase the shares in the club, with Chelsea saying in a statement that ‘such proceeds will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account with the intention to donate 100 per cent to charitable causes as confirmed by Roman Abramovich’.

Boehly’s group promised to invest the remaining £1.75bn in Stamford Bridge, the academy, the women’s team and Kingsmeadow and continued funding for the Chelsea Foundation. 




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