Football agent Pavel Banatin, who represents Dmitry Barinov, stated that the transfer to Alavés did not materialize mainly because of journalists' interference. He mentioned that Alavés had made a direct offer to Lokomotiv, and discussions regarding personal terms were underway. Nonetheless, early media exposure resulted in excessive attention, as 15-16 Russian journalists reached out to the Spanish club's sporting director. Consequently, Alavés decided to pause the transfer, which ultimately did not go through even though it was nearly finalized.