Overview
- Both clubs announced the coordinated deals on January 11 via Telegram, with Igor Diveev signing with Zenit through 2028/29 and Luciano Gondo joining CSKA through 2029/30, where he will wear number 32.
- Diveev, 26, departed CSKA after six years and called the move the most difficult decision of his life in a personal Telegram message, as teammate Danil Krugovoy publicly wished him well.
- CSKA chief executive Roman Babaev said the exchange was mutually agreed and benefits the club, highlighting Gondo as a smart, physical striker already adapted to the Russian league.
- The swap aligns with roster priorities, giving Zenit a Russian international center back valued under foreign‑player quotas and providing CSKA with an RPL‑tested forward option.
- Media and insider reports suggest the exchange could be part of a wider arrangement potentially involving Baltika’s Vladislav Saus, a possibility not confirmed by either club.