Bournemouth remain hopeful of persuading Alex Scott to sign a new contract, despite growing interest in the 23-year-old England international.
The Cherries value the midfielder at £100million after rejecting a £64million offer from Chelsea in the summer. Scott is currently sidelined with a thigh injury sustained on international duty.
Owner Bill Foley told Talksport: “At this point, we’re convinced we’re the right place for Alex to be and to stay, and we’ll keep on addressing the contract issues with Alex as we move through this year.
“We’d love to have Alex stay here and sign a new contract and be part of this team for the long haul. We haven’t given up, but sometimes players get stars in their eyes and they think that Chelsea or Manchester City is the right place to go.
“We have to respect the fact that a lot of our players are younger, and they’ve come to Bournemouth with the expectation that they’ll get time to play and perhaps move on to a bigger team.
“We have to prove to the players this is a place they want to be and that they want to stay and they don’t want to move on because that’s the way we really build a successful team.”
Scott has reportedly rejected a new contract that would make him Bournemouth’s highest-paid player. Liverpool are believed to be well positioned to pursue a deal for the Englishman, although his asking price could prove prohibitive.
Chelsea made at least three offers for the midfielder last summer. According to the Daily Mail, Xabi Alonso’s side have not returned for Scott despite speculation over ongoing talks about a potential fee.
However, their interest remains, and they are expected to make another move in January. Scott is contracted to Bournemouth until 2028, but with no new deal agreed and his valuation remaining high, the coming weeks could determine whether he stays on the south coast or becomes one of January’s biggest transfer stories.
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