Paris Saint-Germain are set to complete the signing of Ilya Zabarnyi after the Bournemouth defender completed his medical with PSG.
Having agreed terms on a five-year contract with the Champions League holders, Zabarnyi will now join PSG and become their first outfield signing of a quiet summer for Luis Enrique’s side.
Goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier completed his move from Lille on Sunday and looks likely to be installed as PSG’s new number one, with Gianluigi Donnarumma left out of their squad for the UEFA Super Cup game with Tottenham on Wednesday.
Zabarnyi follows Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez in leaving Bournemouth for pastures new. Fellow centre-back Huijsen joined Real Madrid while left-back Kerkez signed for Liverpool.
The departure of the Ukraine international puts Bournemouth in a difficult spot, with manager Andoni Iraola conceding to the reality of the situation when speaking to BBC Radio Solent following their final pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad.
“We need two new centre-backs,” Iraola said. “It will be impossible to replace the ones that have left but the best centre-backs we can find, the club is working on it.”
How will Bournemouth replace Zabarnyi?
Though Iraola essentially described Zabarnyi and Huijsen as irreplaceable, Bournemouth are set to fill the void.
The Cherries are reportedly close to striking a deal with Lille for Bafode Diakite.
Diakite is set to arrive for an initial fee of £30.3m plus £4.3m in add-ons. The 24-year-old joined Lille from Toulouse in 2022 and has made 85 appearances for the club since, featuring 10 times in their Champions League campaign last season.
Keen to sign a second centre-back, Bournemouth are also said to be admirers of Chelsea’s Josh Acheampong.
When will Zabarnyi make his PSG debut?
Zabarnyi featured 86 times in all competitions for Bournemouth after joining from Dynamo Kyiv in January 2022.
But he might face a brief wait to make his PSG debut once his signing is announced.
The move comes too late for Zabarnyi to be involved in the Super Cup, while Sunday’s Ligue 1 opener at Nantes is also likely to represent too tight of a turnaround.
PSG’s first home game of the new season, which sees them face Angers a week on Friday, looks likely to be the stage for Zabarnyi’s debut.
