In our article you will learn how Zenit plans to strengthen the squad to fight for the championship title with Krasnodar. So who will leave and who will come?
St. Petersburg soccer club this season did not take the first line for a long time. All because of Krasnodar, which is having one of the best seasons in its history. Nevertheless, bookmakers are still confident that the champion is likely to be the more experienced and accustomed to winning gold Zenit.
It is worth noting that the St. Petersburg club will need serious reinforcement in the winter. According to UOL, Zenit are interested in Palmeiras winger Arthur Guimaraes, offering €18 million for him. The 25-year-old Brazilian joined Palmeiras from Red Bull Bragantino for €9 million earlier this year. For his current club he played 45 matches, where he scored 10 goals and gave 2 goal assists. The player’s contract with the Brazilian team runs until 2027.
Globo Esporte reports on the possible departure of Robert Renan from Zenit. The Brazilian defender has received offers from European clubs and, according to expectations, may leave the team in the winter. “Corinthians” shows interest in the future of the player, holding eleven percent of his economic rights under the terms of a deal that included striker Yuri Alberto.
Also as Egool reports with reference to journalist Jorge Nicola, Zenit are interested in Palmeiras winger Arthur and offered twelve million euros for the 25-year-old player. However, Palmeiras rejected the offer, intending to sell the Brazilian for at least twenty million euros. Arthur played fifty-five matches for Palmeiras in 2023, scoring thirteen goals and making three assists.
Who can leave Petersburg
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg may part with some of their players. According to insider Ivan Karpov, Baltika are looking to sign a player from Zenit and two Lokomotiv players in the winter transfer window. “Rostec has expressed concern over Baltika’s results, which has prompted a reshuffle in the club’s management. The state corporation plans to strengthen the team from Kaliningrad by allocating significant funds for winter transfers to maintain its position in the Premier League.
Sergei Ignashevich’s team is considering several players, including Alexey Sutormin from Zenit, as well as Konstantin Maradishvili and Daniil Kulikov from Lokomotiv. “Baltika” is leaning towards acquiring experienced players ready to help the club avoid relegation from the RPL, instead of young promising players.
Zenit goalkeeper Alexander Vasyutin may continue his career in Scandinavia, as clubs from Sweden and Denmark are showing interest in him. One of the options is a loan to Djurgården if the club sells Jakob Videll-Setterström, for whom Vasyutin has already played in 2021-2022. According to reports, the goalkeeper is dissatisfied with his playing time at Zenit and may change teams in the winter. In the current season, he took part in 5 matches, but only in one of them played on the World RPL.
Danil Krugovoy is also dissatisfied with his position in St. Petersburg. His current agreement with the club expires on June 30, 2024. He noted that he has not yet received an offer that would satisfy him. Krugovoy plans to meet with the club in the winter and discuss contract terms. This season, the 25-year-old defender has played 902 minutes in 16 games for Zenit, noting two assists.
Renan out? What about the Bessmertniy?
There are reports that Zenit are ready to consider parting ways with defender Robert Renan in January 2024, according to UOL. The club is already actively discussing offers to leave the player based on the possibility of selling or renting him. There is interest in Renan from clubs in Brazil, which may contribute to his transfer, as the player himself is also interested in changing clubs. For him, the priority option is to stay in Europe, despite the fact that he has not been on the pitch since October 31. Renan has just eight games for Zenit in the current season.
Fortunately for St. Petersburg fans, Andrei Mostovoi will remain at the club. The player spoke about his supposed move to a French club, which, as he clarified, turned out to be unfeasible due to some circumstances. He did not reveal the name of the team, but said that the offer from France was considered before extending the contract with the current club. Mostovoi noted that the salary in the French club was much lower than in Russia, which was one of the reasons for refusing the move.
And what we should not wait for in St. Petersburg is Stanislav Bessmertny, who announced his opposition to a move to Zenit.
Recently in the media there has been information about Zenit’s plans to renew the squad, including Russian players, among whom Bessmertny was named. However, the footballer himself denies this information, stating that he is not considering a move to Zenit under any conditions, even if it is a large sum. He remains loyal exclusively to his current club Dynamo. During the current season, the 19-year-old right-back has played 663 minutes in 9 matches for Dynamo, scoring 1 goal and making 1 assist.
