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How Chelsea can sign Alex Scott 'for free'
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Bournemouth have relaxed their transfer stance on Alex Scott following lengthy talks with his representatives and it’s understood that a January deal could now be sanctioned.
Marco Rose’s side were initially desperate to avoid selling the England international during the winter transfer window, amid their pursuit of Europa League glory, but they are now willing to accept a deal under the right conditions, as confirmed by BBC Sport.
It comes after Scott rejected the chance to sign a new contract at the Vitality Stadium, and it’s reported that Bournemouth are open to selling the 23-year-old if they receive an offer worth roughly €118 million (£100m) in January.
Chelsea are regarded as the leading candidates in the race to sign the midfielder, following their failure to sign an Enzo Fernandez replacement over the summer, although Liverpool are also keen admirers, while Arsenal have been tipped to pursue a possible deal too.
Xabi Alonso’s side have earmarked Scott as their primary transfer target for 2027 and he is viewed as the perfect midfield partner for Moises Caicedo, who returned to the Blues starting XI on Saturday and played a key role in their 5-1 win over Bournemouth.
Scott was absent during the game due to an injury he picked up while on international duty with England earlier this month, but he is expected to return to full fitness soon, with Chelsea primed to make an approach when the winter window opens on 1 January.
The Blues will be required to make Scott one of their most expensive signings of all time if they are to secure his signature, although they will be able to pick him up ‘for free’ if they are able to finalise a number of sales.
How Chelsea can sign Alex Scott ‘for free’
Chelsea need to raise €118m through player sales to sign Scott ‘for free’ and their recent history suggests this shouldn’t be too difficult.
Alejandro Garnacho is struggling for game time at Aston Villa, but his loan deal with Unai Emery’s side includes a €50m buy option that will become mandatory if certain conditions are met. While it’s far from guaranteed that a permanent deal will be completed, it is certainly possible.
Meanwhile, Napoli have the option to sign Benoit Badiashile on a permanent deal for €27m once his loan spell with the club ends.
In addition, Robert Sanchez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Filip Jorgensen and Axel Disasi will all return to Chelsea next summer, following loan stints away, and they have a combined Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €86.4m.
Therefore, if Chelsea are able to sell Garnacho for €50m, Badiashile for €27m, and Sanchez, Mudryk, Jorgensen and Disasi for a combined €86.4m, they will earn €163.4m, which will be more than enough to land Scott without needing to dip into their transfer budget.
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