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Transfer news: The reason Arsenal and Chelsea must pay over the odds for Aleksandr Golovin
ARSENAL and Chelsea are being forced to pay more for Aleksandr Golovin this summer - but not because of his performances at the World Cup.
Both Premier League outfits have been heavily linked with a move for the CSKA Moscow star, who is currently at the tournament with Russia.
Golovin's performances for the hosts have been extremely impressive so far, leading to a number of European outfits chasing the youngster.
But according to Sport Witness, the 22-year-old's showings at the World Cup are not the reason CSKA are planning to charge more for their star man.
Juventus have been in pole position to sign Golovin in recent weeks after making an offer of €15m (£13m) for the attacker's signature.
But now Chelsea and Arsenal have entered the race, CSKA are demanding closer to €25m (£22m).
Sport Witness claim Viktor Goncharenko's side know they can get more money from the big English clubs, hence the sudden price increase.
Golovin featured in Russia's first two World Cup games, scoring a stunning free-kick against Saudi Arabia in the World Cup curtain-raiser.
The youngster was rested against Uruguay this week, as the hosts fell to their first defeat of the competition.
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Golovin is expected to return to the starting XI against Spain in the knockout stages next week.
Manchester United were said to be interested in the player before the World Cup, with Jose Mourinho even attending a Russia friendly on a reported scouting mission.
However, it appears Arsenal and Chelsea are now the only English sides chasing Golovin this summer.