‘Bournemouth plan to accept Illya Zabarnyi offer’ after Man City twist
Bournemouth are expected to entertain “huge” offers for Illya Zabarnyi in the January transfer window amid growing interest.
This 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 both Man City and PSG have been keeping a close eye on the centre-back’s progress.
While the Cherries are keen to keep their team together after a fantastic first half of the season which had them in sixth place at Christmas, they remain open to offers.
Zabarnyi, 22, has been a crucial part of Andoni Iraola’s team so far this season after starting all 17 of their Premier League fixtures.
He is also a regular Ukraine international with 45 caps to his name despite his young age, with his experience both on the Premier League and international scale adding to his promise.
Man City are keen to add defensive options to their squad and consider Zabarnyi among the leading candidates for the role alongside Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi.
Brown previously told Football Insider that Liverpool scouts have been wowed by Milos Kerkez, while Antoine Semenyo is also among a number of key players attracting interest.
Bournemouth to entertain Illya Zabarnyi offers amid Man City interest
Football Insider revealed last month that Bournemouth would be unable to stand in Zabarnyi’s way if a club can offer him Champions League football and a significant wage boost.
Now, Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after spending over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted a deal could even happen in January given the level of interest in his signature.
“If they get a really huge offer I think they’ll let him go,” he told Football Insider.
“With teams like Man City and PSG interested, you know there’s going to be big money on the table.
“City have been looking to add quality to their defence, he’s young and he has experience at the top level as well, so he definitely fits their profile.
“He’s been really impressive so far this season, which is why he’s attracting this interest.
“Bournemouth have some very interesting younger players, like Zabarnyi, who could be long-term targets for a lot of the top teams.”
In other news, significant update on Antoine Semenyo to Newcastle.
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