Chelsea, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly all lost out to a bottom-half Premier League club in the race to sign Vasco da Gama attacker Rayan.
The 19-year-old has been hailed as one of the latest top talents to emerge from South America, having already scored 25 goals in 99 appearances for the Brazilian side in all tournaments.
Rayan found the back of the net 14 times in 34 Brasileiro appearances during the 2025 season, as well as finishing as the top scorer in the Copa do Brasil with five goals.
The 2006-born attacker has also made a name for himself internationally, winning the South American Championship at both Under-17 and Under-20 level and winning the Golden Boot in the former in 2023.
Chelsea, Barca and Spurs had supposedly all been alerted to Rayan's rise in his homeland, but according to The Athletic, Bournemouth are about to win the race for the teenage starlet.
Chelsea, Spurs-linked Rayan 'arriving for Bournemouth medical'
© Imago / IMAGO / Carneiro Images
The Cherries have supposedly agreed personal terms with the Cherries, and he will undergo his medical on Monday if he arrives on Sunday as scheduled.
Bournemouth have been seeking attacking reinforcements for days after transfer and injury losses, namely the £64m sale of Antoine Semenyo to title challengers Manchester City.
Marcus Tavernier and Ben Doak have also been sidelined with hamstring injuries, but Andoni Iraola will now bolster his ranks with the capture of Rayan, who holds the record for the youngest player in Vasco's history.
The Brasileiro side extended Rayan's contract until 2028 as recently as December, but Vasco were powerless to turn down a suitable offer from Bournemouth for the striker, who stands at 6ft 1in tall and can also play out wide.
Will Chelsea, Spurs, Barcelona regret missing out on Rayan?
© Imago / Carneiro Images
Chelsea have made a habit of poaching the finest youngsters from Brazil and Ecuador during the BlueCo era, but Rayan should not be seen as the one that got away for the West London club.
Estevao Willian has made waves since his arrival at Stamford Bridge and is one of just nine attacking options at Liam Rosenior's disposal, excluding Raheem Sterling, David Datro Fofana and Mykhaylo Mudryk.
The Blues also have high hopes for 18-year-old phenom Kendry Paez - currently on loan at Strasbourg - and the Club World Cup winners could not offer Rayan the immediate game time he will likely receive at Bournemouth.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are supposedly closing in on the signings of four youngsters and are coping just fine on the attacking front under Hansi Flick, even if they must soon plan for life without Robert Lewandowski.
However, both Rayan and new Spurs signing Souza - another Brazilian teenager - could have helped each other settle in in North London, and attacking reinforcements should be high on Thomas Frank's shortlist following injuries to Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison.