Bournemouth 'reach agreement' to sign Lille defender

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Peter Fitzpatrick·10 August 2025

Bournemouth 'reach agreement' to sign Lille defender

Bournemouth have reached an agreement to sign Lille centre-back Bafodé Diakité according to the Athletic's David Ornstein.

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The Frenchman is undergoing his medical today in London prior to signing a five-year contract with the Cherries, who will pay the Ligue 1 side £30.3m (€35m) plus £4.3m (€5m) in add-ons.

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The fee will represent the second biggest transfer in Bournemouth's history behind Evanilson's move from Porto last summer.

The 24-year-old leaves Lille after three seasons in which he made 110 appearances, scoring 13 times.

Diakité will almost certainly serve as a replacement for Illya Zabarnyi, with the Ukrainian on the verge of a move to PSG as Bournemouth lose a third key defender this summer.

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