Premier League pair West Ham United and Leicester City reportedly want Zenit’s Sardar Azmoun – if only Wolverhampton Wanderers could turn back the clock.
Wolverhampton Wanderers don’t make many mistakes in the transfer market these days.
But not even a club with a recruitment strategy as intelligent and thought-out as Wolves’ can get it right 100 per cent of the time, as the case of Sardar Azmoun shows.
Back in January 2019, when all was right with the world, the Black Country giants came very close to finalising a deal to sign the so-called ‘Iranian Messi’ on loan from Rubin Kazan for the remainder of the campaign. But that was as close as Azmoun came to donning that iconic golden shirt.
According to Sky Sports, the deal collapsed because of a disagreement between the two parties. Rubin wanted to include an £11.5 million obligation-to-buy clause in Azmoun’s contract – something Wolves apparently weren’t too keen on.
Less than two years on, however, a 6ft 2ins forward who is now banging in the goals for Zenit St Petersburg is back on the radar over in England. According to AreaNapoli, West Ham United and Leicester City have both been in negotiations over a deal that would see Azmoun move to the London Stadium or the King Power for £30 million.
You don’t need us to point out that the 25-year-old’s price-tag has risen quite considerably (by almost £20 million to be precise) since Wolves got cold feet. Though, with 26 goals in 45 games for Zenit, there is a reason why the Russian giants want a considerably larger fee for one of European football’s most underrated number nines.
In hindsight, you can understand why Wolves would be a little overly cautious. Azmoun was hardly prolific for Rubin after all and was yet to prove himself at one of the continent’s biggest clubs.
But maybe that £11.5 million risk was one worth taking after all.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
