The 25-year-old has been linked with a £15million move to Stamford Bridge.
“Zhirkov is a player of such high level, he would only show all his potential playing in such a strong competition as the English Premier League,” said Zico in The Sun.
“He’d easily fit into Chelsea’s first-choce team. I don’t like to lose him, but I won’t stop his move to London.”
Reports claim Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has advised Blues owner Roman Abramovich to sign Zhirkov.
