Bournemouth are open to selling England midfielder Alex Scott in January, but only under specific conditions. Following a final round of talks with the player’s representatives, senior sources say the Cherries would be willing to sanction his sale if an offer of about £100m arrives in the winter window. Another condition is the club’s position in the Premier League table: should they be struggling towards the bottom of the division, Bournemouth may decide they need Scott to help secure survival.
It amounts to a significant shift in stance after a summer in which the club rejected interest from a host of sides. Every member of the Premier League’s so-called “big six” is believed to have made contact to varying degrees, and all clubs were told not to make an offer or approach the player. Chelsea tested the water with an initial £60m bid rising to £64m in add-ons, which was rejected.
Chelsea and Liverpool are believed to retain an interest, while Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham have moved on to other targets over the summer. Liverpool would be in a strong position, with Andoni Iraola maintaining close relationships with his former club, both with Scott himself and with figures in Bournemouth’s leadership. Chelsea, meanwhile, have previously had encouragement from Scott’s representatives to pursue a deal.
Scott has been pushing to leave Vitality Stadium since rejecting two contract offers at the end of last season, although Bournemouth insisted he was not for sale throughout the recent international break. The 23-year-old remains on the same contract he signed when joining from Bristol City in 2023 for a fee of £25m, which runs until 2028. He is currently out for at least a month with a thigh injury sustained during England’s 7-0 win over Croatia in the Nations League, and has seven goals and seven assists in 95 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Considering a sale is a bitter-sweet decision for Bournemouth. The club entered the season insisting that none of their prized assets — including Scott, Rayan and Eli Junior Kroupi — would be sold before the summer of 2027, but they have since reluctantly concluded they would be prepared to let Scott leave if their valuation is met. The Cherries can point to a market in which spending on midfielders has reached unprecedented levels: three players have commanded fees of more than £100m in the position, and Bournemouth are seeking a similar amount. A TransferRoom report released on Tuesday shows spending on defensive midfielders rose by 191 per cent to 1.38bn euros, while the average fee increased by 156 per cent to 9.9m euros — the highest average fee of any position.
There is also frustration within the club that Scott picked up his 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 season so far, with a return not expected until November.
On the pitch, 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 that results will improve — Iraola endured an even longer winless run when he first took charge — while there is excitement surrounding Bournemouth’s Europa League campaign, which began with an impressive win against Real Sociedad and continues with a home game against Sturm Graz on Thursday.