Bournemouth and Sunderland see €27m bids for player rejected – Need more, Cherries a step ahead
Bournemouth and Sunderland have both seen bids of €27m rejected by Lille for defender Bafodé Diakité.
That’s according to L’Equipe, who report that Lille want as much as €40m for the centre-back this summer.
The newspaper explains that Bournemouth and Sunderland both submitted €27m bids for Diakité but both offers were rejected by the French side. They want €40m for the player, who has a contract until June 2028.
Their management do no intend to waver on this matter, despite Diakité having expressed his desire to move to the Premier League.
Indeed, he has already reached a contract agreement with Bournemouth. That was revealed earlier this month. The prospect of playing under Régis Le Bris at Sunderland isn’t unattractive to him either, though.
The Black Cats have invested heavily in the French market this summer already Diakité is now on their radar as well.
The question is whether they or Bournemouth are willing to spend the sums that Lille are demanding to let the former Toulouse defender depart. €13m currently separates both and they now need to up their offers or look elsewhere.
Tottenham make attempt to hijack Bournemouth exit – Willing to pay what Cherries want
Tottenham make attempt to hijack Bournemouth exit – Willing to pay what Cherries want
That’s according to Gianluca di Marzio, who reports that Tottenham are willing to pay Bournemouth’s €70m asking price for the centre-back.
Di Marzio reports that Tottenham are attempting to sign Zabarnyi this summer as they continue to spend big for new manager Thomas Frank.
They have indicated they would be willing to match Bournemouth’s €70m asking price for the defender, which includes bonuses. That is something PSG are yet to do.
They’ve been chasing the Ukrainian for months but have so far only sent offers worth around €60m, all of which have been rejected by Bournemouth.
The defender’s priority is to secure a move to Paris, but it remains to be seen whether the Champions League holders will make another bid or match Bournemouth’s demands. Various reports have indicated Zabarnyi already has a personal agreement in place with PSG.
There is the prospect that Zabarnyi will ‘open up’ to Tottenham if there is no progress with PSG, but it seems that is yet to happen.
Instead, Tottenham have inserted themselves into the race and shown a willingness to spend, something the French giants are yet to do.
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