£15m Premier League rising star is on Chelsea’s list – but don’t expect him before next summer | OneFootball

The rumours about Chelsea wanting a central defender just won’t go away, and the popular name in the last couple of weeks being mentioned more and more is Illia Zabarnyi of Bournemouth.

The 22 year old is emerging as one of the most impressive young central defenders in the league, playing for one of the most impressive teams this season under manager Andoni Iraola, who has them playing superb football.

The £15m that the Cherries paid for the former Dinamo Kiev defender looks cheap. TeamTalk are reporting that he’s high up on our list, along with Benfica defender Tomas Araujo. Enzo Maresca is still getting to grips with his current options, and has certainly taken a liking to Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana as his first choice pair at the back.

But it’s not clear how much he’s a fan of any of the options deeper on the depth chart than those two. The fans certainly have major doubts about Tosin, Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi and their chances of stepping up and being first choice.

Ilyas Zabarnyi thanks the fans after leading Bournemouth to a win. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Chelsea likely to have to wait to secure major deal

One thing is for sure – signing Zabarnyi mid season is going to be almost impossible. Bournemouth are in a strong position financially and won’t be pressure into disrupting their season by moving him on. He signed a contract until 2029 just a few months ago, and despite being an important name on our list, would be a target for next summer at the earliest.

That’s not a problem for Chelsea. We’ve got numbers on the books, we’re just looking to upgrade in terms of quality. We’ll have our scouts watching Bournemouth closely this season, and if young Illia keeps improving, we’ll be ready and waiting to pay up in the summer.