Bournemouth make verbal offer for player as they look to repeat Huijsen success

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.

Bournemouth submit bid for Nantes’ Nathan Zézé to replace Dean Huijsen

Bournemouth have submitted a verbal bid worth €20m to Ligue 1 side Nantes for their promising centre-back Nathan Zézé (19), according to L’Equipe. Zézé has been touted as one of France’s brightest centre-back prospects. The fact that he is left-footed only draws more focus on him. The outlet reports that several European teams are monitoring Zézé’s progress. Serie A giants Inter Milan already made their interest known last year.

Bournemouth have appeared to blink first, submitting a verbal bid to Les Canaris. The outlet adds that Andoni Iraoli’s side are preparing for life without Dean Huijsen (20). The highly sought-after Spain international is expected to leave the Vitality Stadium this summer after a breakthrough Premier League season. Zézé remains tied with a contract set to expire in 2028, but Nantes have little hope of retaining his services, particularly in the context of Ligue 1’s TV rights debacle that would force most French clubs to sell their prized assets.