Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is drawing fresh transfer interest from Arsenal and Chelsea while the club tries to lock him into a new deal with a £75 million release clause. The move comes as the 22-year-old enters a period of growing scrutiny after a standout 2025-26 campaign and a season in which he made 34 starts.
Scott’s form gives the interest a clear edge. Last season he completed 85% of his passes, made 28 successful tackles, created 21 chances and forced 57 fouls, numbers that explain why he is being watched closely. His contract runs until 2028, but he has yet to agree to an extension, and that leaves Bournemouth trying to protect a player it does not want to lose.
The club’s response is telling. Bournemouth would likely ask for over £60 million to even consider a deal, yet it is still pushing for a clause higher than that, which suggests it wants a price that discourages bids rather than simply reflects Scott’s current value. With the midfielder still under contract for three more years, the release clause is less about immediate leverage and more about setting the terms of any future battle before it starts.
That is why the timing matters now. Arsenal and Chelsea have joined the race, and Scott is suddenly the name at the center of a market that can move quickly once clubs decide a target is worth the fight. The wider pattern is familiar enough: Bournemouth wants to hold firm, while interested clubs test how far the asking price can be pushed before the conversation becomes impossible. A linked report on Bournemouth’s wider summer midfield search has already pointed to United, and Scott remains the cleaner fit because the numbers around him are lower and the path to a deal is more direct than for Felix Nmecha.
Nmecha is the more expensive alternative. Borussia Dortmund have tagged the 25-year-old at €100 million, his contract runs until 2030 and his €80 million release clause does not become active until the summer of 2027. TEAMtalk reports that Chelsea and United lead the race for him, but that only underlines the shape of the market: Scott is the player with the easier contract logic, even if Bournemouth is trying to make the price steep enough to change the equation.
The next step depends on whether Bournemouth can turn that protection into a signature. If Scott refuses the new deal, the club still has the security of a contract to 2028 and a valuation that begins above £60 million, but the pressure around him will not go away. For now, Bournemouth is trying to write the price before the market writes it for them.
