Paris Saint-Germain have completed the £57m signing of Bournemouth’s Illia Zabarnyi, sealing a five-year deal for the highly rated Ukraine centre-back. The European champions paid an initial £54.5m plus £2.6m in add-ons, with Zabarnyi hailing his move as joining “the best club in the world, with the best project.”
The 22-year-old’s departure marks Bournemouth’s third major defensive sale of the summer – following Dean Huijsen’s £50m switch to Real Madrid and Milos Kerkez’s £40m move to Liverpool – leaving Andoni Iraola’s side with a significant rebuild on their hands but a huge profit in the bank.
Signed from Dynamo Kyiv in 2023 for £24m, Zabarnyi’s fee represents a £33m gain in just 18 months. Bournemouth also turned a £37.4m profit on Huijsen, bought for £12.6m from Juventus last summer, and nearly £25m on Kerkez, signed from AZ Alkmaar for £15.5m.
While insiders admit losing three starting defenders was never in the plan, the offers were deemed too good to reject – especially with Real Madrid, Liverpool and PSG all at the table. Huijsen’s £50m release clause, thought unrealistic just six months ago, was triggered after a breakout season that drew interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Bournemouth have already moved to plug the gaps. Lille’s Bafodé Diakité is arriving for £30m (potentially £34m with add-ons) to partner £14.4m signing Adrien Truffert, who replaces Kerkez at left-back. Another centre-half remains a priority.
Elsewhere, goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic replaces Kepa Arrizabalaga, who chose Arsenal over Bournemouth, while teenage forward Eli Junior Kroupi was added in February. Iraola is still hunting a striker to compete with Evanilson, with Enes Ünal sidelined long-term after knee surgery.
For Bournemouth, this summer has been a balancing act between seizing extraordinary market opportunities and avoiding a defensive collapse. The reinforcements will decide whether they’ve executed a masterstroke – or left themselves dangerously exposed.
