A few months ago, Red Star Belgrade were interested in Zenit forward Aleksandr Sobolev. However, according to Russian journalist Ivan Karpov, the move was stopped by Dejan Stanković when he became the coach, because he was familiar with Sobolev's qualities from their time together at Spartak.

Russian media reported last week that Crvena zvezda were interested in 28-year-old Russian striker Aleksandr Sobolev. However, according to Metaratings, Zenit does not want Sobolev to leave in January because the club may lose another striker, either Gonda or Cassierra. It is also reported that Zenit does not want to weaken its attacking options further by allowing Sobolev to leave. Sobolev joined Zenit in August 2024 and has a contract until June 2027. According to Transfermarkt, his market value is €6.00m. The forward has 14 caps and 6 goals for Russia, and has scored 3 goals in 14 appearances in the current Premier Liga season.