Bournemouth haven’t had a spectacular season in the Premier League this time and have left a lot to be desired. After 37 games, the Cherries have 41 points to their name and find themselves in the 12th spot in the league standings. Although they have managed to refrain from falling into the clutches of the relegation zone, they must strive higher especially with Eddie Howe at the helm.
The manager needs to bring in some freshness next season and in particular, injecting resilience to the defensive sector does hold paramount importance. Thus, Bournemouth need to make a good use of the summer transfer window to come back stronger next season. As per one of the latest reports by The Sun, Bournemouth are keen to sign Porto’s blossoming youngster, Diogo Queiros.
Howe is eyeing a £10million deal to sign Queiros after seeing his side falter defensively on a regular basis this season. The young defender emerged through the youth ranks of Porto and has made a mark for himself in Porto’s B side. The Portuguese outfit is reluctant to strike him off their books and are even willing to offer a huge pay-rise to keep him at Estadio do Dragao.
Queiros’ current deal has another three years left with a release clause of £22million but Porto might be forced to sell him for £10million if he is tempted by the prospect of moving to the English top flight. Besides, the 19-year-old wants to ply his trade for the senior side of the Dragons next season to ensure that his developmental process is on the right track and is seeking assurances about the same from his current club.
The starlet carved a series of stupendous outings for Portugal at last summer’s European Under-19 Championship which saw him getting included in the UEFA’s team of the tournament. The South Coast club has been monitoring him closely for quite some time now and they might be able to strike gold if they manage to lure him to the Vitality Stadium in the summer.
Howe is a manager who operates with an affinity towards the young guns he has at his disposal. Queiros will have the opportunity of working under a relatively young and progressive manager and that should appeal to him. However, his lack of experience at the top level will be at the back of the mind of Howe and it will be interesting to see whether Queiros becomes a Bournemouth player next season or not.