CHERRIES are “leading the race” to sign goalkeeper Alex Paulsen from Wellington Phoenix, according to a report by Sky Sports.

The New Zealander has just come off the back of an impressive season in the A-League, Wellington ending in second place, with Central Coast Mariners eventually crowned champions.

Paulsen, 21, won a host of individual awards for his performances throughout the campaign.

He was crowned as the league’s best goalkeeper, as well as young footballer of the year.

Sky Sports claim both Chelsea and Liverpool have also made enquiries for Paulsen, but that Cherries are closer to getting a deal done.

The initial fee mentioned is £850,000, which could rise to around £2million.

Auckland-born Paulsen, who has South African parents, featured for New Zealand at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He also featured for the A-League All Stars in a recent 8-0 friendly win over Newcastle United.

Cherries owner Bill Foley has recently secured a licence to create a new club, Auckland FC, to join the A-League next season.

Currently, Wellington are the only team from New Zealand in the division.

In terms of first-team goalkeepers, Cherries currently have Neto, Mark Travers and Will Dennis, with Andrei Radu's loan move coming to an end and Darren Randolph's contract expiring.