Former Russian and Zenit defender Yuri Zhirkov is close to returning to the Russian Premier League (RPL) as a Khimki player. This was announced to RIA Novosti by a member of the supervisory board of the Moscow Region club Roman Teryushkov.
“At this stage, everything is developing positively, but everything will depend on further negotiations. We, like many clubs, are probably interested in Yuri’s team strengthening, “Teryushkov said. He suggested that the 38-year-old is in demand in the market and has offers from other clubs.
On December 19, another ex-player of the Russian national team Pavel Mamaev joined Khimki’s roster. The midfielder moved to the Moscow Region club from Rostov.
In October it was reported that Ufa was interested in inviting 38-year-old Zhirkov. It was noted that the club from Bashkortostan may try to strike a deal during the winter transfer window.
Zhirkov has not played in official matches since June. He left Zenit after the end of the 2020-2021 season and is a free agent.
Zhirkov also played for CSKA, Anji and Dynamo. Together with the army team, he won the UEFA Cup and a total of 11 titles from 2004 to 2009. From 2009 to 2011, the Russian played for Chelsea. As part of the club, he became the champion of the English Premier League (Premier League).
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