Zenit St. Petersburg have reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen to bring forward the transfer of Sardar Azmoun to the German club to take effect immediately. Azmoun had initially been due to join in the summer.

Azmoun leaves the Russian Premier Liga as the all-time joint-highest foreign goalscorer, tied on 85 goals with Vagner Love, from his 208 appearances. He leaves after eight years in Russian football, after joining Rubin Kazan as a teenager in 2013, and also representing Rostov.