Having had such a great season under Andoni Iraola in only his second year at the club, it is no surprise that transfers away from the club have been of hot discussion for fans in the town.
Before the season even finished, young star defender Dean Huijsen has already bagged himself a move to Spain's biggest club, Real Madrid, in a transfer that earned the Cherries £50m, having only bought him last summer for just under £20m from Juventus.
But this is only the start of what is anticipated to be a summer full of movement at the club, with players both leaving and arriving on the South Coast.
Here is what the Bournemouth team at VAVEL had to say for the Cherries summer transfer preview…
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Areas to strengthen
After a positive campaign, it is hard to believe there would be much for the club to strengthen ahead of next season but this does not look the case for the Cherries.
With Milos Kerkez likely leaving alongside Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi possibly exiting for France and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s permanent transfer to the club looking unlikely, Bournemouth must put a lot of attention and money into their defence to even try and match last season’s heights.
If all four of these players do not return to the club ahead of the new season, it will mean only Adam Smith remains from the 2024/25 club's defence, so already Bournemouth need to find a new left back, central defender and, most importantly, goalkeeper before thinking of other areas.
That being said, the Cherries look to be busy arranging their replacements with many reports coming in about their top targets.
Elsewhere in the squad, the club may look for opportunities to bring in reinforcements in the attack department, which will be even more important if key player Antoine Semenyo leaves.
Most likely, it will be a winger that comes in, with the Cherries comfortably satisfied with their central midfielders and striking prospects going forward.
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Priority targets
With Dean Huijsen already leaving and rumours circulating that more of the Cherries’ star players departing the club it is important for them that the recruitment is spot on to get the club ready for next season.
One of the key areas to strengthen will be at centre back and the club have already eyed up a couple of players to fill this position.
Nathan Zeze
Zeze is a 19 year old France Under-21 international that has risen through the ranks at Nantes over the past two seasons.
This has led to a number of clubs being interested in signing the player this summer.
Bournemouth’s €20m bid for the player was rejected with the French club looking for a fee between €30m-€40m. (Le Equipe)
A left footed centre back, Zeze stands at 6ft3 and is exceptionally good at winning aerial duels, a perfect addition to the squad.
Jhon Lucumí
Another player that has been linked with Bournemouth is Colombian international Lucumí.
Lucumí currently plays for Bologna in the Serie A and helped the club finish 9th in the league last season, as well as pick up the Coppa Italia trophy.
He joined the club from Genk where he won the Belgian First Division A and the Belgian Cup.
Reported by Nicolò Schira, Lucimí has a release clause of €28m, however Bournemouth's original offer was just €15m with added-on bonuses to be included, so there seems far for the negotiations to go.
Written by Elliot Steadman.
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Three possible departures
Unfortunately for Bournemouth fans, this may be a busy summer of goings within the club, particularly of key players having had such an eye-catching season.
Young Spanish defender Huijsen has already agreed with Real Madrid to depart the club this summer, following the Spanish giants meeting the player’s release clause figure at £50m.
But this is not where the defensive departures stop.
Milos Kerkez at left back has strong links to a move away from the Vitality Stadium with Premier League champions Liverpool very interested in signing the player amidst a summer rebuild.
Currently, the specific transfer figure is unknown for the Hungarian but reports suggest Bournemouth are looking for £45m for their star left back and will be happy to hold out for such an amount. (Fabrizio Romano)
Elsewhere, the club may suffer yet another departure to their defence with highly-rated Illia Zabarnyi attracting interest overseas.
Newly crowned Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly pursuing the Ukrainian international with interest being shown from the player.
However, the French champions will have to fork out a big chunk of their budget with the Cherries valuing the player at around £70m. (Fabrizio Romano)
Lastly, and this will be no surprise for Bournemouth fans, but Antoine Semenyo is also attracting the top clubs, although lately news has been thin on whereabouts he may end up.
Manchester United and Arsenal have been linked to Bournemouth’s joint top goalscorer over the last few months but it yet to be seen how realistic a transfer this will be given the club’s valuation for Semenyo at over £65m. (TEAMTALK.com)
There are a lot of moving parts for United, so we await to see whether the move will transpire or not for the Ghanaian.
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Expiring contracts
Unlike other clubs in the league, Bournemouth have very few players with expiring contracts this summer.
Currently, only one player on the books at the club is set to leave on a free transfer this summer and that is defender Chris Mepham.
The Welsh centre back has been on loan at Sunderland in the Championship all season and has helped towards their promotion back to the Premier League via the playoffs recently.
Reports suggest that the Black Cats , as well as Sheffield United, could be interested in a move for the defender, with the player becoming somewhat of a fan favourite over the campaign for Sunderland. (Alex Nixon)
However, there are rumours that the club will extend his contract until next summer, as is part of Mepham’s contract, putting this transfer in doubt. (The Northern Echo)
Elsewhere, Chelsea-loanee goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga will not return to the club with Arsenal very interested in signing the Basque ‘keeper as a backup to David Raya, meaning the Cherries will be in the market for a new goalkeeper. (Nicolò Schira)
