AFC Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil is hoping to keep the ‘fantastic’ Jefferson Lerma amid interest from Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, speaking to the Dorset Echo.
Heading into the January transfer window, there are just three places and two points separating Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest. You could throw a blanket over the pair of them in this most tightly-packed of relegation battles.
Speculation suggesting that Bournemouth could potentially lose one of their most consistent, valuable performers to a direct rival, then, will understandably raise serious concerns on the South Coast.
Forest, The Telegraph say, are big fans of Lerma; a 33-time Colombia international and Bournemouth’s £25 million record signing.
There are doubts at the City Ground about whether or not the Cherries would consider letting Lerma go mid-season. Though Bournemouth’s stance is weakened by the fact that the 28-year-old’s contract expires in just six months’ time.
Nottingham Forest like Jefferson Lerma of AFC Bournemouth
“Jeff’s been fantastic for the club. He’s been a great signing, obviously,” says O’Neil; making no secret of his desire to see Lerma put pen to paper at the Vitality Stadium.
“(Lerma has) been here for a long time and helped the club to promotion. He’s been brilliant for us again this season. So of course we want him to sign. We want him to stay. But, as with all new contract negotiations, every situation is sort of individual.
“I don’t want to speak for the players themselves. But obviously, from a club point of view, hopefully we manage to keep the ones that we really want to keep.”
Nottingham Forest spent in excess of £100 million on over 20 new players last summer, and head coach Steve Cooper is keen to splash the cash again in January. Attacking midfielder Gustavo Scarpa has already joined on a free transfer from Palmeiras.
A tough-tackling, deep-lying midfielder is high on Cooper’s radar too. Lerma is joining Salernitana ball-winner Lassana Coulibaly on Forest’s radar.
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