Bournemouth ‘beat’ Wolves to Bristol City’s £25m star - but move far from done

AFC Bournemouth are reportedly set to beat Wolves to the signing of Bristol City star Alex Scott, according to a report.

Football Insider, who a fortnight ago claimed Wolves were 'closing in' on a deal to sign Scott now say that the 19-year-old is bound for the Vitality Stadium. It is reported by the website that the Cherries are in 'advanced talks' with the Robins over a deal for Scott, and are now 'set to win the race' for the player dubbed the Guernsey Grealish, but any reports of a departure are premature.

The report does not suggest a bid has been accepted as of yet, and merely states that Bournemouth have moved above Wolves in the pecking order to sign Scott. The Dorset club have already had one bid rejected this summer according to reports, and they will still have to deal with Bristol City, who have been tough negotiators and will not back down on their stance now, as they try and deliver the best deal for them.

If a bid is then accepted by the board, Bournemouth will have to persuade Scott and his representatives that a move to them is right for his development. Scott has played regular first-team football at City and is one of guaranteeds name in the starting XI, and a move to the right Premier League team is key for a player that has been tipped to be worth £100m in six years time. For a player of his ability and potential, he would not want to find himself back in the Championship any time soon, and will want to remain at the top level whether that’s with Bournemouth, or a top ten team.

As for Wolves however, if Bournemouth are now ahead of them in the race, it will come as a major blow, as they have already had to change their transfer approach numerous times in this window. Scott is Wolves ‘number one transfer target’ and it was reported that the Midlands club had been preparing a ‘third and final offer’ this week but may not be able to compete with Bournemouth, who can flex their financial muscle power.

Wolves have to abide to Financial Fair Play rules and have sold big stars like Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez and Connor Coady this summer, and are one of the teams tipped for relegation. A move to Molineux would represent a good chance for Scott to start in the Premier League every week, but the off-the-field issues could translate to a disaster on the pitch, should Julen Lopetegui not get his way with new signings.

Nigel Pearson spoke yesterday night about his desire to keep Scott at Ashton Gate, and that the club had issued a strong transfer stance on him. The 59-year-old revealed that the starting valuation remained at £25m, and even suggested following his string of good performances in pre-season that he could be worth £30m.

“I don’t know how many bids there have been,” admitted the 59-year-old. who was appearing on BBC Radio Bristol’s first Sound of the City of the new season.

“As far as I am concerned, we’ve made our stance quite clear as a football club an that is for somebody to gain the opportunity to talk to him, we’re talking about £25m. There have been reports of bids for £21m and stuff like that in various news outlets.”