Paris-Saint Germain have taken another step towards signing the Bournemouth star defender, Ilya Zabarnyi, as Fabrizio Romano described the deal as advancing with new contact taking place today.
Alex Crook, the Chief Football Correspondent for TalkSport, had earlier this week reported that Bournemouth had rejected a PSG bid for the player, while French journalist Fabrice Hawkins had revealed that the 22-year-old centre-back had already reached an agreement with the European Champions.
The deal would range above €55 million if this bid reported by Fabrizio Romano has been rejected.
Zabarnyi’s journey to the top
Zabarnyi came through the Dynamo Kyiv youth academy and made his debut for the first team in 2019. A year later, he was making his Ukraine debut under the management of Ukrainian legend Andriy Shevchenko at just 18 years old. In January 2023, he made the £20 million transfer to the Premier League for Bournemouth. After a settling-in period, he became a key part of the Bournemouth team for the next two seasons, playing in 73 of a possible 76 Premier League games across the two years. In these two years, Bournemouth have hit record points totals of 48 points in 2023-24 and 56 points in 2024-25, only conceding 46 goals in their 38 games.
Bournemouth Squad disruption continues
With Bournemouth’s strong finish in the 2024-25 Premier League season, their squad has been targeted by the traditional ‘Big Six’ in the Premier League and by the largest clubs further afield. Bournemouth will only be left with one player who started in their memorable 4-1 victory in January against Newcastle.
Kepa joined Bournemouth on loan last season from Chelsea and has returned and will likely complete a permanent move to Arsenal this summer.
Lewis Cook has been at Bournemouth since 2016 and will remain for next season, having been captain in that game against Newcastle.
Dean Huijsen had already agreed to join Real Madrid before the final game of the season against Leicester, where he was named as the Bournemouth Player of the Year. He formed a strong partnership alongside Zabarnyi, and this was what helped to boost his transfer value to the €50 million release clause that Real Madrid paid.
Milos Kerkez is the final player in that back four against Newcastle, and he has been targeted by Liverpool as a long-term Andy Robertson replacement. His move is in the advanced stages, and it is rumoured that this deal could be completed in the coming days.