Steve Lansdown has previously confirmed Bristol City will 'get a share of some of the proceeds' if Alex Scott leaves Bournemouth
Former Bristol City midfielder Alex Scott in action for England during the international break(Image: Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Bournemouth have reportedly shifted their stance when it comes to the future of former Bristol City star Alex Scott, with the Cherries said to be 'open to selling' the midfielder if certain conditions are met in the January transfer window.
According to BBC Sport's Nizaar Kinsella, after a final round of talks with the ex-Robins' representatives, Bournemouth are now willing to sanction Scott's sale if they receive an offer of around £100million for his signature this winter.
The Cherries' league position at that stage of the campaign will also have a hold on whether or not the England international - who made his Three Lions debut during the recent international break - will be allowed to depart. Should Bournemouth be near the bottom of the division, they may opt to retain Scott.
READ MORE: Bristol City dressing room 'baffled' by Blackburn defeat but Robins have 'plenty' to work on
At the time of writing, the Cherries currently find themselves 18th in the Premier League after six matches, occupying the final relegation place. Marco Rose's side are yet to win in the league this term, but have made a positive start in the cup competitions, beating Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup and Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
News of Bournemouth's willingness to sell Scott represents a significant shift in stance, given that throughout the summer transfer window, the south coast club were adamant the 23-year-old was not for sale, amid reported interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, amongst others.
Chelsea were even said to have had an initial £60million bid rejected by their Premier League rivals. The add-ons included in that deal would have taken the total package up to £64million.
The BBC's report insists that both Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola's sides retain an interest in securing the former City star's services leading into the winter transfer window, while Man City, Manchester United and Tottenham moved for other targets in the summer.
Scott is currently sidelined by injury, having sustained a thigh issue whilst away on international duty earlier this month and isn't expected to return to the fold for at least a month. Any potential move he does make away from the Vitality Stadium in the coming months will, however, be of interest to the Robins.
The now-23-year-old played 91 times for the Reds between 2021 and 2023 before he was sold to Bournemouth for a reported £25million a little over three years ago.
Alex Scott and Andi Weimann during their time at Bristol City(Image: Rogan/Fever Pitch)
View 2 Images
Amid reports of interest in his signature from the Premier League's 'big six' this summer, City owner Steve Lansdown confirmed a sell-in clause had been included in Scott's original move to the South Coast.
"There certainly is, yes," Lansdown told BBC Guernsey this summer, when asked if City had a sell-on clause attached to Scott. "We would never let a player depart without having a sell-on clause.
"We had one with Antoine Semenyo - who also went to Bournemouth and has now gone to Manchester City - so we'll be hopeful that Alex will be sold by Bournemouth at some point in the future, because we will then get a share of some of the proceeds.
"But that's the football business: you take a player on, you invest in their future, their training, their medicals and all the other aspects.
"You want them to play for you, and if they can't play for you and you move them on to somewhere else, you obviously get a fee and an ongoing fee if they go to a bigger club again."
Asked about the exact terms of that clause, the Robins owner added, "I wouldn't disclose that, because that's private and confidential, but the golden rule is: don't let a player go without a sell-on."
This season, the winter transfer window will run from Friday, January 1 until 11pm on Monday, February 1. As was the case this summer, the decision has been taken to push the deadline back to a more traditional later time, having previously pulled it forward to 7pm in recent years.