Dejan Stankovic blocked Nair Tiknizyan's transfer to Russia

Red Star Belgrade’s new head coach Dejan Stanković has opposed the sale of Armenian defender Nair Tiknizyan despite a lucrative offer from Russia.

The club’s general director Zvezdan Terzić revealed that one Russian club was ready to pay €5.5 million for Tiknizyan, but the head coach insisted on keeping the player in the squad.

— We have an offer from Russia worth €5.5 million. I won’t name the club. Stanković literally begged me, saying: “Terza, for God’s sake, don’t touch Tiknizyan — his energy, his work rate…,” — Terzić was quoted as saying by Mondo, via Mozzart TV.

Dejan Stanković himself confirmed that he asked the management not to make changes to the current squad. According to him, Red Star have a strong and well-balanced roster capable of achieving top goals both domestically and in European competitions.

— I told the management not to touch the players. Sometimes a footballer can find new motivation and reveal himself in a new way. As for Tiknizyan, the director informed me that there was a concrete offer that could be completed immediately. I asked to keep him in the team, — Stanković noted.

It should be recalled that Nair Tiknizyan joined Red Star Belgrade in July 2025 from Moscow’s Lokomotiv. This season, the 26-year-old defender has played 25 matches in all competitions and registered two assists.

It later became known that Krasnodar wanted to acquire Tiknizyan this winter.