Aleksandr Golovin’s former CSKA Moscow teammate Sergey Chepchugov has dropped a huge hint that the midfielder could be heading to Chelsea this summer.
Russian international Aleksandr Golovin’s former CSKA Moscow teammate Sergey Chepchugov has all but confirmed that the midfielder is on the verge of joining Chelsea, as per reports from The Sun.
The Blues have been strongly linked with a move for the Russian prodigy, who impressed in the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the hosts made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Golovin scored one goal in four appearances for his country in the summer’s competition, which France went on to win.
Chelsea are yet to agree a deal to complete the transfer of Golovin, but talks are ongoing between them and CSKA as they bid to finalize the terms for the 22-year-old.
However, Chepchugov seems to have leaked the news of his former club teammate’s imminent transfer prematurely, courtesy of a social media post. Chepchugov’s post on Instagram congratulated Golovin on sealing a move to a “big club” and wished him well at Chelsea, which was in turn liked by Golovin’s official Instagram account @alex_golovin17.
New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri had claimed in his first press conference that he was looking to add more quality to the midfield department before the season began. And to that end, the West London outfit have already managed to capture Jorginho from under the noses of Premier League rivals Manchester City in a £57 million deal.
And Golovin’s imminent transfer to the Stamford Bridge, as revealed by Chepchugov, will be another step in the direction that Sarri wishes to take the club, after having taken over from fellow Italian Antonio Conte.
Widely regarded as the future of Russian football, 22-year old Golovin came through the CSKA academy and has gone on to establish himself as an integral part of the senior setup in the past couple of seasons. The versatile midfielder made 43 appearances across all competitions in the 2017/18 term, coming up with a return of 7 goals and 6 assists.
Till date, he has featured in over 110 games for the Russian outfit, winning the league title once in 2016.
There were reports claiming Chelsea were set to be beaten for Golovin’s signature by French Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco, while there were murmurs of interest from Italian champions Juventus as well. However, it seems like Chelsea have managed to beat their competition in order to land the the 23-time capped Russian international.
Transfer deals can be fickle and can fall through at any time. So, it’s not done until it is done. However, as things stand now, Golovin’s transfer to Chelsea seems to be well on track, thanks to Chepchugov’s update. And with Daniele Rugani also expected to sign in the coming days, things are starting to look up for the 2017/18 FA Cup winners in the ongoing transfer window.