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Bournemouth splash out on Diakite as Zabarnyi replacement

Bournemouth completed the signing of centre-back Bafode Diakite from Lille on Wednesday to help fill the void left by Illia Zabarnyi’s move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Diakite will reportedly cost up to £34.6 million ($47 million), making him the Cherries second most expensive ever signing after striker Evanilson’s arrival last year.

The 24-year-old, who played for France at last year’s Olympics, made 112 appearances for Lille, including 10 in the Champions League last season, since joining from Toulouse in 2022.

Zabarnyi became the third key defender to leave Bournemouth during this transfer window when the Ukrainian joined the European champions for a reported £57 million on Tuesday.

Dean Huijsen made a £50 million move to Real Madrid in June, while Milos Kerkez joined Liverpool for £40 million.

“I’m really happy to be here and I’m very excited to start,” said Diakite, who could face a daunting debut when Bournemouth open up the new Premier League season away to champions Liverpool on Friday.

“I’m a defender who likes to have the ball and play with it, and I hope to show my qualities both with and without it. I will give everything for the team and I hope we will have some great moments together.”

Bournemouth finished ninth in the Premier League last season, equalling their best ever season in the English top-flight.

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