Paris Saint-Germain are now edging closer to an agreement with Bournemouth for Ukrainian international defender Ilya Zabarni, with L’Équipe reporting that the deal will now be expected to be worth around €65m excluding bonuses. Paris Saint-Germain remain in active talks with Bournemouth over the signing of Ilya Zabarni (22), with negotiations having recently progressed after a stalemate earlier this month. PSG had initially submitted a bid slightly above €50m – swiftly rejected by the Premier League side, who were holding out for a fee closer to €70m. However, the start of the FIFA Club World Cup and the opening of the second transfer window have facilitated renewed dialogue. Bournemouth have since softened their stance, and the deal now appears to be advancing towards a €60m agreement.
Sacha Taviolieri reports that the European Champions have managed to agree a five-year deal with the player, and that they have managed to strike an agreement in principle over the transfer.
The transfer timeline remains complicated by logistics. PSG are currently based in the United States for the Club World Cup – where they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Botafogo – while Bournemouth’s general manager Tiago Pinto is travelling across Europe. The eight-to-nine hour time difference between the decision-makers (Luis Campos and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi in Los Angeles) and Pinto has slowed down the pace of discussions.
Still, PSG are hopeful Zabarni could be registered in time for the knockout stages of the Club World Cup, should they progress beyond the group stage. The defender, who featured for Ukraine in Toronto earlier this month, is expected to join the squad stateside as soon as the deal is finalised.GFFN | George Boxall
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