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Chelsea have been told that Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott “is the real deal” after missing out on his signature this summer.
The England star, who excelled on his first senior international start versus Croatia last week, was heavily linked with a Stamford Bridge switch over the summer, but Xabi Alonso’s side saw an initial offer worth €75 million turned down by Bournemouth and they were unable to finalise a deal before the end of the window.
The Cherries remain reluctant to sanction a sale and it has been widely reported that a January transfer will be almost impossible to agree as the south coast outfit look to win the Europa League in their first ever season of European football.
Liverpool are also keeping close tabs on Scott’s development at Bournemouth, although it’s understood that Chelsea are the frontrunners for his signature as they look to finally sign a new midfielder following their failed bids for Lamine Camara and Manu Kone on Transfer Deadline Day.
Scott is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and ex-Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes his former club could do far worse than bringing the Englishman to Stamford Bridge.
“When I’ve seen him play, he looks likely to be the real deal,” Johnson told Football.London.
“Obviously, there’s still a lot of question marks. You know, we’ve seen loads and loads of players have a flash in the pan and then fall away, which I hope isn’t the case for him. But there’s definitely a lot more to prove and a lot more to show than saying, ‘he’s our man, go get him already’.”
How much will Alex Scott cost?
Scott has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €55.8m, but Bournemouth want a club-record fee to sanction a sale and given the current state of the market, it’s highly likely that a fee of at least €100m will be required, despite the fact his contract is due to expire in 2028.
Scott’s England team-mate Elliot Anderson cost Manchester City a whopping €137m over the summer, while Enzo Maresca’s side also paid over €100m for both Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi amid their midfield overhaul.
In addition, the likes of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo both went for huge fees following eye-catching stints in the Premier League, and Scott is likely to follow suit if he leaves Bournemouth for either Chelsea or Liverpool in 2027.
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