Barcelona have reportedly been handed a major boost in pursuit of 18-year-old Russian prodigy Arsen Zakharyan, who dreams of joining the Blaugrana.
In an interview with Sport Express, as quoted by Spanish publication SPORT, Andriy Voronin has given Barcelona a major boost in pursuit of Arsen Zakharyan. The Dynamo Moscow assistant manager has revealed that the 18-year-old Russian prodigy dreams of joining the Catalan club.
Arsen Zakharyan is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the world currently and has lived up to the billing since making his first-team debut for Dynamo Moscow in November 2020. Now a regular feature for the Russian club, the 18-year-old has gone from strength to strength in the last twelve months.
Thus far this season, the 18-year-old has made 17 appearances for Dynamo Moscow, chipping in with four goals and seven assists in the process. His progress has not gone unnoticed, with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, setting their sights on him.
The interest from Barcelona is understandable, considering they chose not to replace Ilaix Moriba and Miralem Pjanic in the summer transfer window. While the advent of Gavi and Nico Gonzalez has mitigated the issues in midfield to some extent, the addition of another midfielder is the need of the hour for Barcelona.
To that end, Zakharyan is a viable target for Barcelona, with the 18-year-old fitting the mould of players targeted by the club under the new regime consisting of Xavi and Joan Laporta. And the Blaugrana have been handed a major boost in pursuit of the Russian international, with Dynamo Moscow Andriy Voronin revealing that he dreams of joining them.
“Right now he’s happy at Dynamo and wants to be here, but he wants to play for Barcelona. I also want him to play there at some point but he’s still got a contract here and I only see him playing here for now. If he goes to Barcelona it would be fantastic, but right now it’s not easy and he still has to mature here.”
Judging by Voronin’s comments, it looks like Zakharyan is unlikely to leave Dynamo Moscow anytime soon. However, if Barcelona, or another suitor like Everton, Chelsea and Manchester City table an attractive offer, it will be interesting to see if the heads turn, thereby paving the way for a big transfer for the 18-year-old.
