Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Bournemouth and England midfielder Alex Scott, according to The Telegraph. The Blues are said to have jumped to the 'front of the queue' for the 23-year-old's signature after seeing a £60million bid rejected by Bournemouth towards the end of the transfer window.
Scott's rise at Bournemouth and on the international stage
Scott arrived at Bournemouth from Bristol City in 2023 and has established himself as one of the most sought-after central midfielders in the Premier League over the last three years. The Guernsey-born player received his first senior England call-up last November and was unfortunate to miss out on a place in Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad.
He made his senior international debut in the Three Lions' Nations League clash with the Czech Republic on Thursday night, coming off the bench to replace Elliot Anderson in the 70th minute at Prague's Fortuna Arena.
Interest from Arsenal and Liverpool
Arsenal and Liverpool are also said to be keeping close tabs on Scott's situation and would be expected to provide strong competition should Chelsea decide to step up their pursuit. Chelsea will actively look to strengthen Xabi Alonso's midfield options in January and next summer after failing with a last-ditch move for Monaco's Lamine Camara last month.
The report adds that Bournemouth's insistence that Scott will not be for sale in the winter has not dimmed Chelsea's interest. Scott's current contract on the south coast runs through to June 2028. Reports in the summer indicated that it would likely require a bid in excess of £80m to prise Scott away from the Vitality Stadium.
Tuchel and Keane praise Scott
After Scott's outstanding performance against Croatia on Saturday, England head coach Tuchel labelled the Cherries man 'the complete package'. 'First start and what a start. What a performance,' the German told reporters following England's rampant 7-0 win. 'He's just so smooth at the moment on the ball, decision-making is on the highest level, he plays with so much confidence. He's so active, so confident and the work-rate off the ball, he's the complete package at the moment.'
Manchester United legend Roy Keane was similarly impressed by Scott, waxing lyrical about the midfielder's showing against Luka Modric in the middle of the park. 'He's done great. He looked really comfortable out there in his first start, he looked like he was an experienced midfielder out there,' Keane said. 'He looked comfortable with the players he was surrounded by. To come up against players like Modric, if he ends up having half the career of Modric then he'll be doing really well.'
