Bournemouth ‘doing all they can to stop star players re-joining Hughes at Liverpool’
Bournemouth are set to do everything they can to keep their best players at the Vitality Stadium beyond the end of the season as Liverpool ready swoop for star duo.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the Cherries are planning to build long-term success under Andoni Iraola.
However, they are aware that doing so will mean making some difficult decisions to turn down big-money offers for a number of their top talents.
Bournemouth are fifth in the Premier League table as things stand, just one point behind Manchester City in fourth, and have lost just one of their last 15 games in all competitions.
As a result, a number of their most important players have attracted interest from some of Europe’s elite sides who are looking to take advantage of their success.
Moreover, the club’s former recruitment chief Richard Hughes took on the role of sporting director at Liverpool last summer and was responsible for signing many of the players key to Bournemouth’s stunning campaign.
Newcastle want to sign Antoine Semenyo as they look to add a new right-winger to Eddie Howe’s squad after failing to do so last summer.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are keen on signing Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez to strengthen their side and have been keeping close tabs on their progress.
Bournemouth plan to reject ‘significant’ offers for star players
Brown told Football Insider on 19 February that Bournemouth are doing everything in their power to keep hold of Iraola amid interest from Tottenham and Real Madrid.
Now, the former scout who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that Bournemouth want to keep their squad together and continue their run of success.
“The issue for Bournemouth will be, ‘we’ve got to this level, what do we do now?’,” he told Football Insider.
“Selling their best players will put them back to where they were before.
“Is that the type of club they’re always going to be? Fighting against relegation and whenever they get a decent player they look to sell him on?
“That’s a decision that has to be made internally at the club.
“But, from what I’m hearing and from what I expect, that’s not what they want to be.
“They want to keep up this good run of form which has got them where they are at the moment.
“That will mean keeping this squad of players together under this manager, and I think they’ll be doing everything in their power to make sure that happens.
“There’s been a lot of interest in a lot of their players, the likes of Semenyo, Huijsen, Kerkez and others.
“But that comes with the territory when you’re playing as well as they have been.
“So I expect they’ll have to make some difficult decisions financially, perhaps turning down offers they wouldn’t usually reject, but keeping this squad together will be key for their ambitions.”
The Cherries respond to ‘big-money bids’ amid financial update
An ongoing concern for clubs in Bournemouth’s position revolves around their finances and the threat of a potential profit and sustainability breach.
These concerned have forced Newcastle, Aston Villa and Chelsea to entertain offers for a number of first-team players across the last two transfer windows.
However, former Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider that the Cherries have no pressing need to sell from a PSR point of view and will be able to turn down big-money bids.
The sale of Dominic Solanke to Tottenham in 2024 has eased any concerns around player sales, and has put the club in a strong financial position.
For more Bournemouth news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.