Bournemouth's Zabarnyi close to £57m move to PSG

Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi is set to leave the club for Paris St-Germain in a transfer worth up to £57.1 million. The 22-year-old Ukrainian centre-back is currently in Paris undergoing a medical after agreeing to personal terms on a five-year contract. Negotiations between Bournemouth and PSG are finalizing the deal, structured as an initial £54.5m fee plus £2.6m in performance-related add-ons.

Zabarnyi's departure marks Bournemouth's third major defender sale this transfer window, following Dean Huijsen's £50m move to Real Madrid and Milos Kerkez's £40m transfer to Liverpool. While this forces Bournemouth to rebuild their defence, they stand to make significant profits on the trio. Zabarnyi was signed for £24m, Huijsen for £12.6m, and Kerkez for £15.5m.

Bournemouth have begun replacing their departed defenders. They have agreed a deal for Bafode Diakite from Lille, costing an initial £30m (potentially rising to £34m), to fill Zabarnyi's position. Adrien Truffert (£14.4m) has been signed to replace Kerkez, and the club is actively seeking another central defender. Other signings include goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic and teenage forward Eli Junior Kroupi.

Club sources expressed surprise at losing three defenders despite expecting at least one sale. The high fees offered by elite clubs like PSG, Real Madrid, and Liverpool made the moves difficult to refuse. Bournemouth negotiated the Zabarnyi deal on their own terms, acknowledging the players' desire to advance their careers. The club did not anticipate Huijsen's £50m release clause being triggered so soon after his £12.8m signing.

Manager Andoni Iraola also wants to sign a striker to compete with Evanilson, especially as Enes Unal remains sidelined with a serious knee injury.