Bournemouth
Premier League • England
Bournemouth agree terms with ‘very special’ Brazilian forward who’s snubbed Liverpool move
Bournemouth and Liverpool are both big admirers of Vasco da Gama star Rayan
Bournemouth have agreed terms with Brazilian starlet Rayan, and sources reveal that the player has shunned interest from some of England’s biggest clubs, including Liverpool, as he looks set to head to the south coast.
The 19-year-old is one of the most desired young talents in the Brazilian top-flight, with many Premier League scouts feeling he is now ready to make the move, with nearly 100 senior games under his belt.
Rayan, a centre-forward who can also play as a winger, has notched 23 goals for Vasco da Gama so far, averaging nearly one in three, and Bournemouth view him as a great option to replace Antoine Semenyo.
We can confirm that Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle have scouted the player heavily in the last 12-months and all have been looking closely at making an offer.
However, it is believed Rayan has been sold by the project at Bournemouth, given that the route to the first team is clear
Sources at the Vitality Stadium have confirmed to us that they have a deal in place with the player, and they feel that they are confident of seeing off the competition because of that agreement on a five-year deal.
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Bournemouth close to signing ‘special’ Brazilian forward
It is believed that Bournemouth’s opening offer for Rayan is over €30million (£26m / $35m), and they are informed by intermediaries that a deal could be struck close to €35million (£30m / $41m).
Vasco had previously been looking for €50milion (£43m / $58m) and rejected an offer of €31million (£27m / $36m) from Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg last month, but the player made it known he wanted a move to West Europe.
Bournemouth are hoping to finalise Rayan’s signing imminently so he can play a starring role in the first team for the remainder of the campaign.
It has been a difficult season for Andoni Iraola’s side so far. They currently sit 15th in the Premier League table, a significant drop off from last term when they flirted with European qualification.
Semenyo, who has joined Manchester City, will undoubtedly be a huge loss for the Cherries but they have a good track record in the transfer market and hope Rayan will be their next big success story.
Rayan’s playing style has been compared with that of legendary Brazilian striker Adriano, and Vasco manager Fernando Diniz has described him as a ‘very rare’ and ‘special talent’.
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