SPORTSWORLD.AM
Bournemouth are determined to keep hold of Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabarny during the summer transfer window, despite interest from giants such as Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester City and Tottenham.
Zabarni is a key player in the team, forming a strong partnership in the centre of defence with Dean Geisen. The latter, whose performance has attracted admiration, will move to Real Madrid in the summer. The loss of both centre-backs would be a serious blow for Bournemouth, who are looking to make progress under Andoni Iraola.
According to GiveMeSport, Bournemouth will put up significant resistance to any offer for Zabarni. Despite Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and Newcastle all highly-rated for the 22-year-old defender, the club are not going to part with him easily, especially after Geisen's departure.
Sources close to Bournemouth confirm that Geisen's transfer has significantly reduced the likelihood of Zabarni's move in the coming months. Losing two key centre-backs at once would be a real disaster for the Blues, so Zabarni's departure in the summer is considered virtually impossible.
Additionally, there have been rumours of a possible departure for Milos Kerkes, and his transfer is considered highly likely. If the Hungarian left-back leaves the club in the summer, Bournemouth could lose three of their key defensive players, given the potential departure of Zabarni.
Bournemouth will do everything they can to fend off interest from Tottenham, Manchester City and Newcastle in Zabarni. The young centre-back has played a key role in Iraola's side and the club are desperate to keep hold of their top players.
Zabarni joined Bournemouth from Dynamo Kyiv in January 2023 for a fee of €22.7 million. His contract with the club runs until the summer of 2029. Transfermarkt values the player at €40 million.