Chelsea are said to be 'close' to signing talented youngster Arsen Zakharyan from Dynamo Moscow this summer.
The 19-year-old's agent Pavel Andreev spoke to RB Sport, via SportsKeeda, revealing that a £12.6million transfer is close to being completed after transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio reported that the Blues had activated Zakharyan's release clause. The youngster played 34 games for Dynamo last season across all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing a further nine assists.
The Blues have already secured the signings of Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Gabriel Slonina as Todd Boehly looks to add young talents to the club with a focus on the club's future. So, who is Arsen Zakharyan and what could he bring to Stamford Bridge if he completes a move to west London?
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Here, football.london takes a closer look.
Who is Arsen Zakharyan?
Zakharyan was born in Samara, Russia and is considered one of the brightest talents in his homeland. Aged just 19, the Dynamo Moscow talent already has four international caps for his country after impressing throughout the youth categories.
He is predominantly a central midfielder but has the ability to play on either wing due to his physical and technical attributes.
What would he bring to Chelsea?
Zakharyan has brilliant close control enabling him to drive forward with the ball and breeze past opposition players with ease. The 19-year-old tends to cut-in on his right foot whenever possible and is not shy of trying his luck from distance.
Despite standing at 6ft 0in tall, Zakharyan has exceptional dribbling qualities that match his strong physical stature making him a suitable midfielder for the Premier League. The Russian talent is not afraid of making intelligent runs into the penalty box to support attacks when the opportunity presents itself, highlighted by his impressive record of scoring nine goals and providing nine assists in just 34 appearances last term for Dynamo.
The Russia international's ability to take on players and retain possession with his dribbling is similar to that of Chelsea star Mateo Kovacic, whilst the 19-year-old is also exceptional at taking set pieces. His size allows him to take long strides forward off the ball, catching opposition players off guard with his pace at arriving into dangerous areas, specifically on the counter attack.
What has been said?
Zakharyan's father, Norayr, told Sport24.ru, via Goal: "They [St Petersburg] told us that he would be signed without trials, but that turned out to be false. The whole story dragged on and on, and in the end they just let him go.
"It was probably for the best. That negative experience made Arsen stronger."
His first coach, Samara football legend Vladimir Korolyov spoke about how the 19-year-old talent stood out to him at an early age. "Arsen stood out since the age of six," he told Sport24.ru, via Goal. "He never had problems with dribbling past defenders, but enjoyed more when able to provide assists.
"He has an interesting style, because there is an illusion that the ball is too far from him when he is running with it. In reality, he is in full control thanks to his long stride.
"But his most important quality is his intelligence. He always reads the game better than others, and is also very serious and disciplined in training."
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