Manchester City are all set to battle Chelsea and Tottenham for the signature of Bournemouth defensive sensation Illia Zabarnyi.
Illia Zabarnyi’s consistent performances for Bournemouth have not gone unnoticed and according to a report from TEAMtalk, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are all keen on signing the Ukrainian international.
Zabarnyi came up the ranks at Dynamo Kyiv and made quite a name for himself while playing for their first team. He secured a difficult move to the Premier League at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While negotiations were not straightforward, the Cherries forked out £15 million to add him to their squad.
The move has done wonders for them as the 22-year-old has not had much difficulty adjusting to life in the English top flight. He has been a consistent performer for them under Andoni Iraola and is one of the main reasons why the Cherries are just four points behind the top four.
Zabarnyi’s performances and his huge potential have not gone unnoticed and multiple top clubs will look to prise him away at the turn of the calendar. Chelsea are one of the clubs who are interested in the Ukrainian international.
Premier League giants to battle for Zabarnyi
Chelsea want more quality at the back following an impressive start to life under Enzo Maresca. The Italian manager is not convinced with Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi’s performances, and the Bournemouth sensation is one of the names on their wishlist.
While they are also interested in Tomas Araujo, Zabarnyi is a much cheaper alternative for them. Meanwhile, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou seeks more depth at the back. He wants a young centre-back who can add depth and cover for Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Radu Dragusin as he does not count on Ben Davies.
Spurs were interested in him even before he made the move to Bournemouth, and they have now decided to revive their interest in him. Meanwhile, Manchester City are looking at Zabarnyi as a potential replacement for Ruben Dias, who has been linked with a move away from the club.
City are looking at the long-run, and they feel the Bournemouth centre-back could be a great signing for them. While the Premier League giants want to sign the 22-year-old, they are not going to find it easy to prise him away from Bournemouth in January as he signed a new deal in the summer that runs until 2029, and only a mammoth fee can convince them to sell.