While Todd Boehly may be looking to reignite Chelsea's chances of finally signing Arsen Zakharyan, Mauricio Pochettino has already crushed the 20-year-old's hopes of playing alongside his dream midfield partner.
Zakharyan was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge last year, but a switch failed to materialise. In the eleventh hour of the summer transfer window Boehly tried to wrap up a deal for the Dynamo Moscow star, but the Blues faced a number of complications which ultimately saw negotiations collapse.
Due to British sanctions placed on Russia, as well as various other rules and regulations set by FIFA on the transfer of Russia or Ukraine-based players, a move was too difficult to complete. Eager to secure Zakharyan's signature, Chelsea stoked the fire again in January but with little success.
With the ongoing war blocking the Russia international's potential move to west London, Boehly appears to have found a loophole. According to 90min, the Blues' owners want to sign Zakharyan for newly-acquired sister club Strasbourg.
The report states that the youngster could be available for just £8.6million, with his contract set to expire in 12 months. If the Ligue 1 outfit manage to get their hands on Zakharyan then a long-anticipated transfer to Chelsea becomes far easier to complete.
Even if the west Londoners manage to finally secure the midfielder's services, Mauricio Pochettino has already denied him his dream of playing alongside Joao Felix. In an interview with the SportExpress in January, Zakharyan revealed that he had already spoken to the Atletico Madrid star about lining up together for Chelsea.
«We have already discussed everything with him [Felix] — he is on the left – I am in the centre [laughs],» joked
Read on football.london