Cherries 'hopeful' they can deter buyers
Article excerpt
Bournemouth believes it can fend off interest in its star players following a surprising sixth-place finish last season. Junior Kroupi lacks a release clause entirely, while Rayan has one that hasn't yet been activated, giving the club leverage to reject modest offers and demand premium fees. The club's strong league position has emboldened management to negotiate from a position of strength rather than desperation.
Alexander Smith, senior sports journalist at the Bournemouth Daily Echo, thinks Bournemouth "feel confident" they can keep hold of key players after last season's sixth-placed finish.
Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, he said: "The main priority is making sure they keep hold of as many players as they possibly can. The three names they are most concerned about losing are Alex Scott, Rayan and Eli Junior Kroupi."
Kroupi has been linked with a move to Premier League champions Arsenal in recent weeks.
"They feel confident of keeping hold of them but you never know with the season they had last season," Smith added. "Someone could come in and offer an awful lot of money and make them an offer that they can't refuse. I'm hopeful and cautiously optimistic that they can keep hold of them."
The Cherries will play in European competition for the first time in their history next season and Smith thinks that puts them in a "better position" in terms of the players that are attracting interest and says it is in Bournemouth's hands regarding contracts.
He added: "They're planning to offer a new contract to Alex Scott. Rayan and Junior Kroupi are both tied in. Junior Kroupi doesn't have a release clause, Rayan does but it's not active yet so those two they are feeling like they can be quite bullish and turn down any lowball offers and push for anything much, much higher than clubs might be willing to pay, which puts them in a good position.
"I think they are hopeful that they can ward off any potential buyers and keep the selling down to a minimum.
"In terms of incomings, the main priority in the short term will be replacing Marcos Senesi and then potentially getting a new striker if Enes Unal leaves.
"They will probably want to bring in a couple more on top of that at least to make sure they have got two good options in every single position for the season to come and make sure that they have a bit more depth in key areas like the wings, forward positions and in central midfield.
"It will be another case of recruiting cleverly and trying to bring in players on good deals here and there."
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