Chelsea have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Alex Scott after the Bournemouth midfielder expressed a desire to join the Blues, despite a £64million bid being rejected.
Scott keen on Chelsea move
Standard Sport understands that while Scott wants to join Chelsea, Bournemouth insist that the 22-year-old is not for sale as they look to tie him down to a new contract. Scott, who has no plans to sign a new deal, enjoyed an excellent season at Bournemouth as they secured Europa League football under now Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola.
Contract talks stall
Scott was first offered a new deal in March, with Bournemouth confident they could convince the former Bristol City midfielder to commit his future to the club. Since then, talks have slowed, and Scott is now keen to move on as Chelsea accelerate their interest in a bid to ward off other potential suitors.
Arsenal and Manchester City have also been credited with interest in Scott, but have yet to make a formal approach for the England international. Scott missed out on selection for England’s World Cup squad, but was called up to train with the senior team before the tournament got underway.
Midfield rebuild at Chelsea
Scott is viewed as one of the players in line to refresh Thomas Tuchel’s squad following their frustrating semi-final exit to Argentina. Chelsea are in the market for a midfielder, with Enzo Fernandez having expressed his desire to leave the club. The Blues have placed a £120m price tag on Fernandez, who Alonso says he wants to keep, but it is unclear whether anyone will come in for the 25-year-old after Real Madrid ruled out a move for the former Benfica man.
