Chelsea fans, it’s not good news
Only a matter of days ago it seemed Aleksandr Golovin, one of the stars of the Russian team as they hosted this summer’s World Cup, was all set for Stamford Bridge.
With newly appointed Maurizio Sarri said to be a keen admirer of the 22-year-old, an Instagram message from Sergey Chepchugov, one of his CSKA Moscow teammates, wished Golovin well at Chelsea. When the post was later liked by the attacking midfielder, it seemed the cat was very much out of the bag.
It wasn’t.
Along with Chelsea, AS Monaco are one of several clubs to have been linked with a move for Golovin. Now, it seems the Ligue 1 side may have got their man.
Vadim Vasilyev, the French club’s president, has revealed that, after careful consideration, Golovin has decided to reject an offer from Chelsea in order to move to Monte Carlo.
“Monaco and CSKA Moscow today agreed on the transfer of Golovin on a five-year contract,” he said.
“Honestly, until the last moment I was not sure that I would be able to co-ordinate this transfer.
“In addition to Chelsea, Golovin also claimed Juventus had interest. However, our main competitor was Chelsea.
“I believe that Monaco offered more favourable conditions for the club and a more understandable project for the player.”
Further reports have now suggested the player will undergo a medical with Monaco before the deal officially goes through.
Golovin 🇷🇺 is heading to Monaco for a medical.
— Artur Petrosyan (@arturpetrosyan) July 25, 2018
Golovin was part of the Russian team that made it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup this summer, eventually losing on penalties to Croatia. He caught the eye in their opener against Saudi Arabia, scoring a free-kick in stoppage time to complete a convincing 5-0 victory.
