Cherries eye £12m move for Burnley’s Pope
AFC Bournemouth are considering signing Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope to replace 39-year-old Artur Boruc this summer.
That’s according to Lancs Live, who report that the Cherries would have to stump up somewhere in the region of £12m for his services.
Pope has fallen down the Clarets’ goalkeeping pecking order this season, with Tom Heaton and Joe Hart currently in front of him in Sean Dyche’s plans.
That’s despite the 26-year-old enjoying a fantastic breakthrough Premier League season last term, keeping 11 cleansheets in 35 top-flight appearances.
His form prompted Gareth Southgate to hand him his senior England debut in a World Cup warm-up match against Costa Rica at Elland Road.
The ex-Charlton Athletic man did admittedly suffer a shoulder injury at the start of the season against Aberdeen and only returned to full fitness in January.
Cherries boss Eddie Howe has been playing the experienced Boruc in recent weeks after previous first choice Asmir Begovic suffered a worrying dip in form.
It seems apparent that the goalkeeping department at Vitality Stadium could do with a revamp come the end of the season and Pope represents an attractive option given his proven top-flight ability and relatively low transfer fee.
However, Bournemouth aren’t his only admirers, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham all monitoring his situation.