Bournemouth are pushing to sign the Lille centre-back Bafodé Diakité as a replacement for Illia Zabarnyi, who is poised to join Paris Saint-Germain. Zabarnyi is expected to join PSG in a deal worth almost €70m (£61m), with talks over add-ons ongoing.
Zabarnyi’s anticipated departure would mean Bournemouth will have generated more than £150m this summer, with fellow defenders Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen joining Liverpool and Real Madrid respectively.
Premier League clubs are understood to be monitoring PSG’s progress with a deal for Zabarnyi, given the protracted talks in recent weeks, but the expectation is the 22-year-old Ukraine defender will depart for the French club.
The 24-year-old Diakite has been the subject of interest from Premier League rivals, including Sunderland. The Cherries looked to Ligue 1 for Kerkez’s replacement, Adrien Truffert, and now hope to seal the signing of Diakité, who was a regular starter for Lille last season. Bournemouth also signed Eli Junior Kroupi from the French club Lorient earlier this year.
Another Lille player, the goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, is primed to join PSG. There are suggestions Chevalier will become Luis Enrique’s new No 1, casting doubt over the immediate future of the Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was part of the Champions League-winning side last season.
Andoni Iraola wants two new defenders this summer after Huijsen’s exit. Bournemouth tracked Nathan Zézé but the 20-year-old joined Saudi Pro League Neom from Nantes at the end of last month. The Cherries are thought to hold an interest in the 19-year-old Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong.
Elsewhere, West Ham are poised to sign Mads Hermansen after striking an £18m deal to sign the goalkeeper from relegated Leicester. The Championship club were resigned to losing the Denmark goalkeeper, who will reunite with Casper Ankergren, West Ham’s lead goalkeeper coach, whom he worked with at Brondby. Meanwhile Wilfred Ndidi, one of Leicester’s highest earners, is joining Besiktas after the Turkish club triggered his £9m release clause.
