Bournemouth owner Bill Foley insists the club “haven’t given up” trying to convince Chelsea target Alex Scott to sign a new contract with the Cherries.
Scott is the subject of interest from Chelsea ahead of the January transfer window, and other big clubs in England, including Liverpool, have been huge admirers of the England midfielder. Scott, who is currently sidelined through injury, has so far rejected offers of a new contract from Bournemouth, prompting speculation over his future.
Bournemouth's Stance on Scott
Bournemouth rejected a £64million bid for Scott in the summer and subsequent approaches from other major clubs in England, but have since softened their not-for-sale stance. They have said they would consider a sale in January if they are confident of avoiding relegation and can land a fee of at least £100m.
But Foley and the Cherries have not lost hope that Scott might still commit his future to the south coast club. Foley hopes Bournemouth offering their top stars six-figure wages will become “commonplace”.
Foley's Commitment to Keeping Scott
He added: “At this point, we're convinced we're the right place for Alex to be and to stay, and we'll keep on addressing the contract issues with Alex as we move through this year.
“We'd love to have Alex stay here and sign a new contract and be part of this team for the long haul.
“We haven't given up, but sometimes players get stars in their eyes, and they think that Chelsea or Manchester City is the right place to go.
“We believe, if we keep on buying infrastructure and a common thread of leadership across the team then we will start keeping more and more players.
“People will be surprised about that, and they'll be able to earn substantial wages here.”
Respecting Players' Ambitions
Foley, 81, added: “We have to respect the fact that a lot of our players are younger, and they've come to Bournemouth with the expectation that they'll get time to play and perhaps move on to a bigger team.
“We recognise that my job is to make players feel comfortable and provide them with the infrastructure they need to understand that.”
