Chelsea could seal Alex Scott deal at '£20m' reduction after Bournemouth latest - Insider

Bournemouth could stand to lose up to £20million on the transfer fee for Chelsea target Alex Scott next summer.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Cherries' midfielder is increasingly likely to depart at the end of the season.

However, a deal could now be done at a reduced price, with Scott facing a period on the sidelines as a result of a quadricep injury.

Wyness believes that Scott's setback has effectively put paid to any chance of him getting a big move this winter, and has warned that it could damage Bournemouth's valuation of him.

The South Coast outfit rejected a bid of around £60m from Chelsea in the summer, and were believed to be holding out for £80m.

The 23-year-old recently starred for England in their 7-0 demolition of Croatia, but was then forced to leave the Three Lions' camp prematurely due to his injury.

Chelsea to monitor Alex Scott comeback 'very closely'

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Chelsea will continue to monitor Scott's return to action "very closely," with a view to making a move for him next summer.

Scott had just over 18 months left on his contract with Bournemouth, and that, combined with his injury issue, has opened the door for a potential "variance" on any future transfer fee.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained the scenario that could potentially see Chelsea land Scott with a £20m reduction.

"Well, I think there would have been a race to try and get him signed in January, and that's obviously gone now. So we're looking at next summer," he said.

"A lot will depend on how he actually comes back and how bad the injury is. If it's three months, it's not something that simple.

"So if he comes back and he starts performing again, then I think he'll maintain that sort of price level, but it'll happen next summer.

"If his comeback isn't quite so positive, there could be a variance of £15m to £20m in his price. There's no doubt people believe he's going to be a top talent and will come back at some stage. But there'll be very close monitoring of his injury comeback."

Bournemouth 'doing everything' to seal new deal

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider last week that Bournemouth are "doing everything they can" to secure a new deal for Scott in the coming months.

Marco Rose's side have been working on a new deal for several months, but were unable to make any progress in negotiations over the summer.

Brown revealed that Bournemouth remain "optimistic" that they can tempt Scott to stay, but they are running out of time to get a contract on the table.

Even if Scott were to leave the club soon after penning a new deal, it would at least go some of the way to help protect his full valuation.