According to Slavia president Ventseslav Stefanov, speaking to Sportal.bg, CSKA showed interest in 19-year-old Bulgarian left winger Kristiyan Balov of Slavia before the transfer window closed. Stefanov added that he has not received a return call from CSKA's management so far. He stated that CSKA had asked about Kristiyan Balov more than a month ago when the transfer window was still open, and that he had said what he had to say. He added that since then the phone has been silent, that no one was calling so far, and that this was the truth. The Bulgaria U21 international joined Slavia in July 2024 and is under contract until 2026. In the current efbet Liga season, Balov has 2 goals and 2 assists in 12 appearances, and his market value is estimated by Transfermarkt to be €250k.