Tottenham 'ready £60m transfer hijack' as Thomas Frank eyes Prem swoop

Tottenham are reportedly ready to hijack Paris Saint-Germain's pursuit of Illia Zabarnyi by meeting Bournemouth's £60million asking price for the talented defender. The 22-year-old, who has already been capped 49 times by Ukraine, joined the Cherries from Dynamo Kyiv for almost £20m in January 2023.

Zabarnyi has been a key player for Bournemouth over the last two seasons and has started 75 of his side's previous 79 Premier League matches. He helped the Dorset team finish ninth in the table last season, their first top-half finish since returning to the top flight in 2022. But he could be on the move in the coming weeks as he has been linked with a move to PSG since the latter stages of the last campaign. Spurs appear to be desperate to halt the transfer, however, and take him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium instead. And the player was even linked with a move to Liverpool last month.

According to transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, PSG have sent offers for Zabarnyi in the region of £52m, which have all been rejected by Bournemouth.

And Tottenham are ready to pay the £60m, including bonuses, requested by the Cherries if the player is open to remaining in the Premier League and moving to north London.

However, Zabarnyi is said to be prioritising a move to PSG, so Spurs boss Thomas Frank could be left disappointed.

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Zabarnyi spoke out about his early days in football during a chat with The Telegraph last November as he explained: "When I started playing, I was too kind on the pitch. It was not good.

"My coach, Mircea Lucescu [at Dynamo Kyiv], told me, 'You need to be strong, you need to be scary.' I had to stop being too nice."

The player then explained: "I am young but I play against experienced players. Every time I need to learn more, to be better tomorrow than I was yesterday. It is the only way to be at the top."

Zabarnyi also admitted he has learnt from watching Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who has won the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup during his Anfield career.

The Bournemouth man added: "I love how he plays. I watch how he moves on the pitch. When I play against someone, I watch how they communicate and I am learning from that.

"I have space to improve. From every game I try to take something that helps me grow. I am young but I want more, because in my heart I am a leader. I want to lead."