Barcelona have been told that 18-year-old Russian wonderkid Arsen Zakharyan wants to play for the Catalan giants by the teenager’s assistant coach at Dinamo Moscow.
Andrí Voronin told Sport Express that Zakharyan would like to play at the Camp Nou in the future and added that he would love to see the youngster fulfil his dream, as reported by Diario Sport.
“Right now he is happy at Dinamo and wants to be here, but he wants to play for Barça,” he said. “I also want him to play there at some point, but he still has a contract here. Dinamo and I see him just playing here right now. If he goes to Barça it would be fantastic, but right now it is not easy and he has yet to mature here.”
Zakharyan enjoyed an impressive breakout season for Dinamo Moscow in 2020-21, scoring three goals and contributing five assists in just 11 first-team outings after being promoted from the reserves. The teenager’s performances certainly captured the imagination of supporters who voted him the club’s Player of the Season.
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Who Is Arsen Zakharyan?
The Dinamo Moscow teenager has cemented his place in the team this season, making 16 appearances for the Russian side and contributing four goals. He’s also into double figures when it comes to goal contributions, as shown by Goal’s Tom Maston.
That’s 10 direct goal contributions (3G+7A) so far on the season for the teenage Russia international.
#NXGN t.co/0nXAf42WTQThe teenager, who is known for his great vision and willingness to take on defenders, also loves to go for goal, as highlighted by Opta.
Zakharyan has also featured in Russia’s most recent World Cup qualifiers, helping the national side finish second in Group H and just a point behind 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia.
The youngster will be hoping to help Russia make it to the World Cup finals in Qatar in 2022. The team now go on to play Poland in the play-offs with the winners of the game set to take on either Sweden or Czech Republic for a place in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Dinamo Moscow will be hoping to keep hold of their young star but may find it difficult. The teenager has a buyout clause in his contract of just €12 million which rises to €15m in the summer, according to Sport Express (via Sport Witness).
Dinamo Moscow Keen To Keep Zakharyan
Zahkaryan’s performances have unsurprisingly drawn interest from clubs across Europe with European champions Chelsea and Premier League winners Manchester City both linked with the teenager.
Liverpool have also been mentioned as potential admirers, but Dinamo Moscow director Sergey Stepashin has said he needs to stay where he is and develop further, as reported by Sport Witness
“No, these are agent games. He is still a young man. He still has to grow and grow,” he said. “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.”
Yet Zahkaryan’s relatively cheap release clause may make it difficult for Dinamo Moscow to hang on to their young star, particularly if he does decide he wants to leave the club for a new challenge.
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Coach Reveals Russian Wonderkid ‘Wants To Play for Barcelona’