Video: Arsen Zakaryan Officially Joins Spanish Club

Armenian-Russian footballer Arsen Zakaryan, who has signed a contract with the Spanish club Real Sociedad, has already been welcomed at the club and has undergone a medical examination.

"I have always followed Spanish football, I knew this was a big club with a large fan base, and now I will be competing in the Champions League. When the offer from Real Sociedad came, I asked to move there without thinking too long," Zakaryan said in an interview.

In a conversation with RIA Novosti, his agent Pavel Andreev mentioned that Zakaryan wanted to play specifically in the Spanish league.

Real Sociedad announced Zakaryan's transfer on August 13. The 20-year-old midfielder has signed a contract until the end of the 2028/29 season. It was previously reported that the Basque club would pay 12 million euros for the 20-year-old player, plus bonuses.

Interest in the player was also shown by the Dutch clubs Feyenoord and PSV, Italy's Lazio and Genoa, France's Strasbourg, and Turkey's Galatasaray during the current transfer window. Notably, English club Chelsea also wanted to have Zakaryan in their squad.

Since 2020, Zakaryan has been playing for Dynamo. He has appeared in 89 matches for the Russian team, scoring 19 goals and providing 25 assists. In the 2022/2023 season of the Russian Premier League, Arsen Zakaryan played 27 matches, scoring 4 goals and providing 7 assists. The midfielder has also played 10 matches in the Russian Cup, contributing 1 goal and 1 assist. His contract with Dynamo expires at the end of June 2024.