"I hope everything will be done soon, maybe in January" - 19-year-old midfielder makes major Chelsea transfer claim

Dynamo Moscow midfielder Arsen Zakharyan has opened up about his potential move to Chelsea. The Russian international is hopeful that the deal will be completed soon, hinting at a possible January move.

The Blues were heavily linked with a move for Zakharyan this summer. The two clubs reportedly agreed to sign the midfielder before the transfer window shut. However, the deal never came to fruition.

Zakharyan had a successful campaign with Dynamo Moscow last term. The 19-year-old talent ended up scoring seven goals and providing eight assists in 29 appearances for the club in the Russian Premier League.

When asked about a potential move to West London, the Russian said (via Hrach Khachatryan):

"I hope everything will be done soon. Maybe in January."

Zakharyan was also asked whether he spoke to any representatives from the west London outfit. He replied:

"Yes. There was an offer, but it was impossible to complete a transfer."

With regards to whether he accepted the offer, the Russian added:

"How can I reject that? Of course, I accepted."

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano apparently messaged Zakharyan inquiring about when he would join the London Blues. Referring to the conversation, the Russian midfielder further went on to say:

"Fabrizio Romano messaged me and asked when I would join [Chelsea]. I told him I don't know. I'm waiting."

Chelsea are currently fifth in the Premier League table after securing a 2-1 victory over West Ham United in front of their home crowd over the weekend (September 3).

Arsen Zakharyan's £12.6 million move to Chelsea blocked by British sanctions

As mentioned above, Chelsea had expressed an interest in signing Zakharyan before the transfer window shut. The Blues had activated the midfielder's £12.6 million release clause, reaching an agreement with Dynamo Moscow.

However, the Russian outfit have now revealed that the move was blocked by British sanctions placed on Russia as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, as quoted by The Daily Mail.

This posed two problems for the Blues. Firstly, the sanctions prevented the flow of money into Russia, disrupting any payment of transfer fees to Dynamo made by the Blues. Secondly, obtaining a work permit for Zakharyan would have been very difficult even if the transfer went through.

FIFA's rules on signing players from Russia would also have to be addressed if a potential deal was agreed.

Dynamo issued a statement on their official website saying (via The Daily Mail):

"For several days, there have been intense negotiations between Dynamo and Chelsea, in which our club took a constructive position. However, it is not possible to transfer a player in this summer transfer window for a number of technical reasons beyond our control."