Bournemouth defender Zabarnyi joins PSG for £57m

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The Ukrainian centre-back, who has signed a contract lasting five years, expressed that he has joined "the finest club in the world, featuring the best project."

European champions Paris Saint-Germain have made an initial payment of £54.5 million, with an additional £2.6 million contingent on performance incentives.

Zabarnyi made his move to the Cherries in January 2023 from Dynamo Kyiv, where he accumulated 86 appearances.

He played a crucial role in the defensive lineup and earned the title of the 2023-24 Supporters' Player of the Season.

The departure of the 22-year-old marks Bournemouth's third significant defender sale during this transfer window, following Dean Huijsen's transfer to Real Madrid for £50 million and Milos Kerkez's move to Liverpool for a reported £40 million.

While the Cherries are faced with the challenge of rebuilding their defence, they are poised to gain a substantial profit from these three transfers.

Zabarnyi was acquired for an estimated £24 million, while Huijsen was brought in from Juventus last summer for around £12.6 million and Kerkez cost an approximate £15.5 million from AZ Alkmaar.

Over the weekend, Bournemouth finalized an agreement for Zabarnyi's replacement, Bafode Diakite, with the Lille defender arriving for an initial amount of £30 million that could increase to £34 million with additional clauses.

Transfers have been described as 'difficult to refuse’

Bournemouth had anticipated selling at least one defender during the summer, but losing three has taken the club by surprise, according to insiders.

Nonetheless, each transfer was hard to decline, given the lucrative offers from three of the largest clubs globally.

The Cherries, who more than tripled the £12.8 million invested to sign Huijsen from Juventus six months ago, did not foresee that his £50 million release clause would be regarded as a bargain by interested clubs within such a short timeframe.

Real Madrid secured Huijsen's services, but he attracted considerable interest from other clubs, including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea, after an impressive season at the Vitality Stadium.

Diakite addresses one of the gaps in the centre-back position, and £14.4 million signing Adrien Truffert has been brought in to cover for Kerkez, while the club seeks an additional central defender.

Additionally, goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has taken over from Kepa Arrizabalaga, who chose to join Arsenal from Chelsea rather than Bournemouth, and they also acquired young forward Eli Junior Kroupi in February.

Manager Andoni Iraola is also looking for a striker to increase competition for Evanilson, especially since Enes Unal remains sidelined due to a serious knee injury sustained last season.