Alijonov’s transfer to Persepolis falls through due to fan pressure – source

Persepolis CEO Peyman Haddadi has said that the transfer of Pakhtakor defender Khojiakbar Alijonov was halted due to misinformation and pressure from certain fans.

“We considered Alijonov for the right-back position. Initially, Pakhtakor demanded $800,000 for the player. We stated that we could offer $400,000. During negotiations, the parties moved closer to an agreement in the range of $600,000 to $650,000, and discussions were also held with the player,” Haddadi said.

According to Haddadi, the parties had reached an agreement on a 1.5+1-season contract, but several external factors prevented the transfer from being finalized.

“We had agreed with the player on a 1.5+1-season contract. However, some individuals who identified themselves as Iranians disrupted the negotiation process. In an attempt to damage the reputation of the club and the country, they sent the player, and even his mother, images and videos portraying the situation in the country in a negative light. In addition, false information about the club’s financial situation was circulated. As a result, the Uzbek side demanded that all payments under the agreement be made in a single installment. To address these concerns, I personally spoke with the chairman of Pakhtakor’s board of directors, but they stated that they were uncertain. Apparently, the club fully realized the player’s value and intends to sell him after the World Cup for a higher offer. For this reason, the transfer will not go ahead for now,” the Persepolis executive said.

It is worth noting that Persepolis earlier announced the signing of a contract with Uzbekistan national team forward Igor Sergeev.