Illia Zabarnyi sends message to Evanilson as Bournemouth exit looms
Illia Zabarnyi has sent a message to teammate Evanilson as the centre-back edges closer to leaving Bournemouth before the 2025/26 season starts.
Bournemouth enjoyed a stellar 2024/25 campaign as they finished in ninth place and reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, and Zabarnyi played a key part in their success.
He has already seen some of his influential teammates depart this summer, though, with Dean Huijsen leaving the club to join Real Madrid, while Milos Kerkez has moved to Liverpool.
The 22-year-old’s own impressive form has seen Football Insider recently reveal that Paris Saint-Germain are interested in a move for Zabarnyi this summer, with talks advancing and the Champions League holders extremely keen to sign him ahead of next season.
Football Insider revealed on Tuesday (22 July) that Tottenham are advancing a move for Zabarnyi, with a £60million bid likely as Spurs emerge as frontrunners for his signature, and he has now sent a new message to a teammate in the face of numerous links away.
Zabarnyi mocks Evanilson on Bournemouth’s pre-season tour
Bournemouth fans will be pleased to know that Zabarnyi is in the USA with his Bournemouth teammates right now as the Cherries prepare to compete in the Premier League Summer Series against the likes of Everton, Man United and West Ham.
He shared a picture of teammate Evanilson to his Instagram story on Wednesday (23 July), as the Brazilian striker clearly struggled with the New York heat and Zabarnyi captioned the story: “+30 (Evanilson)” with a hot face emoji to share the pair’s dismay.
Bournemouth face tricky season ahead if Zabarnyi leaves
Football Insider verdict
Bournemouth supporters will be disheartened by the departures of a number of Iraola’s main men this summer, with Huijsen and Kerkez already gone and more seemingly looking set to depart soon.
Zabarnyi would undoubtedly also be a big loss, given his impact on the team and impressive defensive exploits since he joined the south-coast side from Dynamo Kyiv in 2023.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards |
| 86 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
It looks as if a tug-of-war could be set to proceed for his services, with Spurs readying a bid while Fabrizio Romano has recently reported that PSG are “pushing to get a deal done” to bring the Ukrainian international to the Champions League holders.
On top of the 22-year-old potentially joining Huijsen and Kerkez out of the exit door, Iraola could find himself out of a job if things do not go Bournemouth’s way next season, as revealed to Football Insider by former scout Mick Brown, which would be a shock considering their decent showing in the last campaign.
The Cherries have been able to make a decent signing in recent weeks, with Djordje Petrovic brought in from Chelsea as Mark Travers left to join Everton, but they certainly need to be busier in terms of incomings, and Zabarnyi’s likely departure will not help going forward as they look to improve even further in the new season.