CHERRIES are “closing in” on a deal to sign Alex Scott from Bristol City, according to a report in the Telegraph.

Central midfielder Scott has been a name on Cherries’ radar for some time, with a bid of around £15million understood to have been knocked back by the Robins last month.

The Championship outfit value the talented teenager at £25million, with Wolverhampton Wanderers also thought to be interested.

The Telegraph claim Cherries have now moved ahead of Premier League rivals Wolves in the race and are in “advanced talks” with Bristol City over a £25m deal.

Guernsey-born Scott, an England under-20 international, spent time in Cherries’ academy around the age of 13, having left Southampton.

He went on to play non-league football for Guernsey, before moving to Bristol City in 2020, where he has made 94 appearances, scoring nine goals.

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Speaking on Saturday, Cherries’ boss Andoni Iraola expressed his desire for the club to add depth in midfield.

He said: “I think we need probably more than one player there.

“I think we need different styles, different types of player that can help us in these three positions we use in the midfield.

“But right now we have to wait at the end, the club is trying to sign the players.

“Like all the teams, but we have to wait for the right situation.

“We all think that it's better to wait a little bit more, even if you don't train (with the new players), but at the end you make the right decision with the correct player, the player that suits your style and think is going to be better for the club.”

Discussing Scott earlier this week, Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson said: “There have been bids in for him but we'll try and keep him.

“We've made our stance quite clear as a football club and that is that for somebody to gain the opportunity to talk to him we're talking about £25million.

“Having seen him since the start of pre-season we should be asking £30m for him, never mind £25m.

"The bottom line is that we as a club have said that he's going to cost £25m as a starting point and if something happens where he goes for less than that, then I won't be very happy I can tell you that now."

In recent years, Cherries have also signed Lloyd Kelly and Antoine Semenyo from the Robins.