Bournemouth Set to Sign Lille Defender Bafode Diakite in £34.6m Deal

Bournemouth are on the verge of securing the signature of French defender Bafode Diakite from Lille in a deal worth around £34.6m, Sport360NG reports.

The 24-year-old is expected to cost an initial £30.3m, with a further £4.3m in potential bonuses, which would make him the Cherries’ second most expensive arrival.

Diakite, who joined Lille from Toulouse in 2022, has made 85 Ligue 1 appearances and featured in 10 Champions League games last season. He is currently in the UK undergoing a medical and is set to become Bournemouth’s third major signing of the summer following the arrivals of left-back Adrien Truffert and goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

Nineteen-year-old striker Eli Junior Kroupi has also linked up with Andoni Iraola’s squad after spending the latter half of last season on loan at Lorient, having signed from Bournemouth in January.

The club have overseen a major overhaul of their defence, with Milos Kerkez leaving for Liverpool in a £40m deal and Dean Huijsen joining Real Madrid for £50m. Ukraine international Illia Zabarnyi is also on the brink of a £55m move to Paris Saint-Germain.

With defensive reinforcements a priority, Bournemouth have been linked with Chelsea’s Josh Acheampong and Sevilla’s Loic Bade, although the latter is reportedly closing in on a switch to Bayer Leverkusen.