Bournemouth Transfer Special: Huge bid for Roma star, goalkeeper swoop, TV money at stake

NEWS NEWS BLOG SPORT takes a look at who Bournemouth could buy and sell during the January transfer window.

 

Bournemouth are expected to break the bank in order to sign Roma's Juan Iturbe

 

The Cherries have been in fine form of late, propelling themselves up the table to the relative safety of 14th place.

December has proven to be a profitable month for Eddie Howe's side, with three wins on the bounce, beating Manchester United and Chelsea in that time.

And the club will no doubt be looking to add to their squad as they continue to strive to stay in the division with next season's bumper TV deal a huge financial incentive.

 

What do Bournemouth need?

The Premier League minnows have bucked the trend of newly-promoted sides by having no problems scoring.

Their 22 league goals mean they have out-fired big guns Chelsea and Liverpool and have the same number as Manchester United.

However, they could still do with some attacking flair, particularly after losing the pace of Max Gradel and Christian Atsu through injury.

 

Bournemouth have the smallest budget in the Premier League

How much can Bournemouth spend?

Howe's side have the lowest budget in the top flight, with much of the club's £130million windfall of reaching the Premier League being kept in the club's coffers.

Despite this, the Cherries were one of the busiest teams over the summer, bringing in the likes of Atsu from Chelsea and signing Artur Boruc and Josh King to permanent deals.

So it's likely they could splash out once more in January, with talk of a big-money move for Roma winger Juan Iturbe.

 

Juan Iturbe is reportedly Bournemouth's No1 target

Who might Bournemouth sign?

Their No 1 transfer target is Iturbe, who pulled out of a move to newly-promoted rivals Watford this week, according to reports.

The Daily Mail claim The Cherries have increased their wage offer and made a £16.2m bid to tempt the Argentinian to the south coast.

The Italian club paid £15.75m to Verona last summer for the pacy winger, although he has failed to shine, scoring just three times for Rudi Garcia's side.

 

Concerns surrounding the long-term fitness of Adam Federici and Artur Boruc has lead to Bournemouth considering a move for Atalanta's Marco Sportiello.

The Daily Mirror claim they could make a bid in the region of £6m for the 23-year-old goalkeeper.

And it's understood he will be given the nod over Federici and Boruc as the Cherries' first-choice shot stopper.