The Premier League would strongly discourage its clubs from conducting business with their Russian counterparts, the Guardian understands, as it emerged that Tottenham had agreed to sell Davinson Sánchez to Spartak Moscow for €12m plus add-ons.
Sánchez has been left with a decision to make after Spurs raised eyebrows with their willingness to trade with Spartak. The centre‑half is expected to say no and consider offers from elsewhere but the episode has raised a number of questions.
The Premier League cannot stop its clubs from dealing with Russian sides but it would warn them to be mindful of the risks attached. They include whether the Russian club was a sanctioned entity or whether the funds were coming from a sanctioned individual or entity.
Surely the greater concern, however, would be the ethics of making or spending money in Vladimir Putin’s country.
The Premier League, which stopped broadcasting its matches in Russia after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has fielded queries from individual clubs about doing business with Russians. It is unclear whether it has collectively addressed the clubs to outline its thinking.
Russia was banned from the Qatar World Cup at the end of last year while Uefa has kicked its clubs and national teams out of its competitions.
Sánchez is expected to leave Spurs after he endured a poor season last time out, the nadir coming when the club’s supporters cheered his substitution in the home defeat against Bournemouth in April.
Ange Postecoglou, the new manager, has made upgrades in central defence his priority and he continues to track Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven and Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen.
Spurs are in Singapore where they are preparing for a friendly against Lion City Sailors, which kicks off on Wednesday at 12.30pm BST.
