There was this:
Vladimir Putin asked Bashar al-Assad to step down - FT.com
Which was denied but that doesn't mean anything heh. Also, there is this:
Putin hints that Russia could grant asylum to Assad | World news | The Guardian
If Putin mentioned that then he did so for a specific purpose. I hope he manages to install a general who is loved by the army, right down to the soldiers themselves, some "war hero" patriot to sell the Syrian Arab national idea, who would fit well in a transitional non-sectarian government. And who would be strong in the negotiating table as a leader of the SAA.
And the western press and the rebels can have a victory with the evil hereditary dictator deposed, thrown out of Syria for good. Strictly military leaders are the answer to islamist insurgencies, like Sisi in Egypt, who is also a Putin ally.