Newcastle United, Man City on Alert as PSG Expect to Sign Bournemouth Star After Club World Cup | OneFootball

PSG are expected to target a center-back this summer, and one player who caught their eye was Bournemouth standout Illya Zabarnyi. However, convincing the Ukrainian defender to leave wouldn’t be easy.

Last year, PSG focused on a youth-driven approach with signings like Lucas Beraldo and Willian Pacho, and that trend seemed likely to continue this window. Although the summer transfer market was still a couple of months away, rumors were already picking up steam.

In May, Sky Sport Switzerland linked PSG with Zabarnyi and Club Brugge’s Joel Ordoñez as possible options. Whether Zabarnyi became a serious target appeared to depend on how other areas of the squad developed.

One key factor was the future of Matvey Safonov. If Gianluigi Donnarumma secured his spot as the long-term No. 1 goalkeeper, Safonov could be on his way out—either on loan or through a permanent transfer.

Freeing up space in the goalkeeper rotation might have given PSG more flexibility—and potentially made their offer to Zabarnyi more attractive.

Could Bournemouth standout be nearing PSG move?

Dan Mullan/Getty Images

On Tuesday, EuroSport’s Romain Collet-Gaudin reported that Zabarnyi is close to joining PSG in a deal expected to be completed after the Club World Cup.

According to a previous report from L’Équipe’s Loïc Tanzi, PSG are still in talks with Bournemouth over a deal for Zabarnyi. The defender has already told the club he only wants to join PSG ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, but Bournemouth are demanding a fee of around €70 million.

Still, PSG could face a challenge in securing the talented defender, as The iPaper reported that Zabarnyi, a serious target for Newcastle and admired by Manchester City, is believed to have a starting price tag of around £50 million.