Jefferson Lerma nearing Bournemouth exit as contract nears expiration

Colombian midfielder Jefferson Lerma may not be at the Vitality Stadium next season as he continues to stall on a contract extension from Bournemouth with eyes on a summer exit.

The 28-year-old will be a free agent at the end of June, and the Cherries have been trying to tie him down, but to no avail; the team is trying another attempt to woo him with a bumper offer after securing Premier League safety which they feel will tempt him to stay.

Lerma has played 34 games and scored five goals for the Cherries, and with such impact, they want to keep him at the Vitality Stadium for next season. 

Three premier league sides have shown interest in the Colombian International, including Leicester City, Crystal Palace, and West Ham United. Of the three teams, two of them are battling relegation, albeit West Ham United are more assured of staying up while Leicester City are still in a relegation battle which they could survive.

West Ham United’s interest in Lerma is based on the possibility of Declan Rice leaving the Olympic Stadium in the summer, with Lerma sighted as a feasible replacement.

However, Premier League interest is not the only one coming for the Colombian as there are interests from France and Spain, with Nice from the French League showing interest and Villarreal and Real Betis in La Liga.

Lerma arrived at the Vitality stadium for a club-record fee of €30 million in the summer of 2018 and has made over 180 appearances for the club, being ever-present.

Through that period, he has played in and out of the Premier League with the club, including two Premier League seasons and one in the championship.

Bournemouth have three matches left and need just a point from their remaining three games to secure Premier League football for next season as they sit fourteenth with 39 points and face Crystal Palace, Manchester United, and Everton in the remaining fixtures.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu