Bournemouth have made a ‘concrete’ offer for Nantes central defender Nathan Zézé as they look to get ahead of European competition for the 19-year-old.
That’s according to L’Equipe, who report that Bournemouth are the first to enter the race for the youngster this summer.
The newspaper reports that Zézé is likely to be the main story of Nantes’ transfer window and one of the biggest sales in Ligue 1.
He is attracting significant interest from several European clubs, particularly in the Premier League, where there is a particular focus on young, left-footed central defenders as they are seen as rare on the market.
Bournemouth are the first to have made a concrete move for him, refusing to wait until the end of the season to get the transfer battle started.
They are expecting the departure of Dean Huijsen this summer and are already looking for potential replacements. They have reportedly made a verbal offer worth around €20m.
Nantes, though, are expecting more for their man. Their focus is currently on staying in Ligue 1, but they need big sales to make up the shortfall due to the low revenue generated by TV rights.
They’re aware of Nathan Zézé’s potential and knows the competition will be fierce, which should also help to raise his price as well. Thus, they have no intention of selling early or for the €20m Bournemouth have already offered.
