AFC Bournemouth enter €20m transfer tussle with Arsenal for 23-year-old | OneFootball

Championship outfit AFC Bournemouth have entered the race to recruit Shakhtar Donetsk full-back Dodo, as per a report from UOL.

The 23-year-old spent the early stages of his career in his home nation Brazil, but made the move to Ukraine in 2018, going out on loan to Vitoria de Guimaraes during his first season there but remaining with the first-team squad ever since.

This term, he has been one of the first names on the teamsheet for his domestic side, plying his trade not only in the Ukrainian top division but also participating in the Champions League where he came up against previous winners Real Madrid.

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Asmir Begovic? (First spell)

Fee Free

Unfortunately, Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the country has left the right-sided player with an uncertain future and despite the ongoing war, his current side are thought to be keen on retaining him.

So much so, they aren’t willing to part with the former Brazilian youth international for less than €20m, a sizeable sum the Cherries may only be able to afford if they win promotion back to the Premier League at the end of this term, something they are currently on course to do.

However, they aren’t the only ones in this race with Dodo being the subject of numerous enquiries recently, and top-tier giants Arsenal are one team thought to be pursuing him as well as the south-coast outfit.

As per this same report from UOL, the 23-year-old is yet to decide his next career move, potentially allowing Scott Parker’s men to prepare an offer.

The Verdict:

The full-back’s safety has to come first, so it would be nothing short of a relief to see him either leave his currently country or see the nation escape the clutches of war, with the latter obviously being preferable for the sake of the Ukrainian people.

Looking at this deal from the Cherries’ point of view, they do have Jack Stacey and Adam Smith as options, but you wonder whether the latter is coming into the latter stages of what has been a fruitful career at the Vitality Stadium.

If one of those options go, it would make sense for Dodo to come in and provide that extra touch of class needed to either push Stacey as far as he can for a starting spot or manage to win a place in the starting 11 himself.

The latter seems more likely at this stage considering the European experience he has under his belt, though Parker’s side will need to ensure the Brazilian is in the right state of mind to compete at the highest level considering his experience of war.

€20m is a lot of money though so it will be very interesting to see whether officials at the club will be willing to fork out that much money for his services, with the Gunners potentially pricing them out of the race if they launch a bid.