Manchester City will have to fork out a significant fee to secure the services of Bournemouth defensive sensation Ilya Zabarnyi.
Illia Zabarnyi has only gone from strength to strength since moving to England. He has established himself as one of the best young defenders in the Premier League and multiple top clubs are interested in signing him.
Manchester City are one of the clubs that are interested in the Ukrainian centre-back who is a key figure in the Bournemouth first-team. According to a report from Football Insider, the Cherries are open to sanctioning his departure as long as they get a sizeable price tag.
Bournemouth forked out £24million to sign the 22-year-old centre-back from Dynamo Kyiv at the start of 2023. He has started all 12 of their league games this season which clearly demonstrates his importance in their team.
Zabarnyi has already proven himself in the English top flight and given the kind of potential he has, the young centre-back could go on to become one of the best defenders in the world. His impressive rise has caught the attention of quite a few top clubs and they could look to knock on the Cherries door during the next summer window.
Bournemouth are ready to sell
Despite his importance in Andoni Iraola’s team, they do seem ready to negotiate his departure for the right price. Bournemouth want a significant fee to let go of one of their best young players. They are ready to accept a big-money offer as they seek to raise funds ahead of the next summer window.
Zabarnyi penned a new deal in the summer and with his contract running until the summer of 2029, Bournemouth are well in control of the situation. But, the report suggests they won’t be able to stand in his way if a club can offer him Champions League football and significant wages.
Manchester City want Zabarnyi
Manchester City are the ones who have been linked with him and they can surely feel all his requirements. Pep Guardiola’s team haven’t been at their best this season. They are on a five-match losing streak across the competition and their defence has been leaking goals.
They are looking to sign Zabarnyi to add more quality and depth to their backline. City feel his arrival could address their defensive issues. He ticks a lot of boxes for Guardiola’s team and they surely have the financial strength to bring him to Manchester.