Bournemouth owner Bill Foley has not given up hope of convincing Manchester United target Alex Scott to sign a new contract with the club.
United were linked with Scott last summer, but Bournemouth were reluctant to sell the England international.
The Cherries also rejected a £64 million offer from Chelsea in a show of determination to keep the midfielder.
Scott, who has two years on his contract, has reportedly rejected a new contract offer making him Bournemouth’s most expensive player.
Foley insists the club will continue to work on securing a new contract for the Bristol City academy product despite the rejection of their new offer.
“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,” he told talkSPORT.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Bournemouth could be open to selling Scott for around £100m in January, a price that could be too steep for Man United.
The Red Devils also signed Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos last summer, casting further doubt on Man United making a January move for Scott.
Scott has enjoyed a better start to the season than United’s summer midfield additions, although Baleba has only recently returned to action after sustaining an injury before joining from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Scott, described as ‘superb‘ by pundit Alan Shearer, would add more intensity to United, an area in which Michael Carrick’s side have struggled this season.
He can close down opponents aggressively, carry the ball through the press, and support teammates during transitions between defence and attack.
The early indications suggest that Baleba, Tielemans and Santos may not solve the Mancunian giants’ midfield problems.
United should be in the race to sign Scott in January or whenever Bournemouth are ready to sell him.
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