Bitter-sweet decision for Cherries
- Published
Bournemouth are open to selling England midfielder Alex Scott in January under certain conditions.
After a final round of talks with his representatives, senior sources say the Cherries are willing to sanction Scott's sale if an offer of about £100m arrives in January.
Another condition will be Bournemouth's position in the Premier League table. If they are struggling towards the bottom of the league then the club may decide they need Scott to help secure survival.
The decision to consider Scott's sale is a bitter-sweet one for the Cherries.
The club entered the season insisting none of their prized assets, including Scott, Rayan and Eli Junior Kroupi, would be sold before the summer of 2027.
However, they have since reluctantly concluded they would be prepared to let Scott leave if their valuation is met.
Bournemouth can point to a market in which spending on midfielders has reached unprecedented levels across the Premier League.
Three players have commanded fees of more than £100m in the position and the Cherries are seeking a similar amount for Scott.
A TransferRoom report, released on Tuesday, shows spending on defensive midfielders rose by "191% to 1.38bn euros , while the average fee increased by 156% to 9.9m euros - the highest average fee of any position."
There is also frustration within the club that Scott picked up an injury while away with England.
He entered the camp carrying tightness, only for the issue to worsen and leave him sidelined for about six weeks.
That came after Kroupi sustained a serious injury in pre-season, causing him to miss the entire campaign so far, with a return not expected until November.
New manager Marco Rose is yet to win a league match, with the 5-1 defeat by Chelsea representing the lowest point of his tenure so far.
There remains hope results will improve. Andoni Iraola endured an even longer winless run when he first took charge, while there is excitement surrounding Bournemouth's Europa League campaign.
Their European adventure began with an impressive win against Real Sociedad and continues with a home game against Sturm Graz on Thursday.
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