Iraola’s Old Club Is Not Ready To Let Liverpool Come Shopping
There is a version of this transfer saga where Liverpool simply wait for Bournemouth to blink. Based on what is coming out of the south coast right now, that wait could be a long one.
According to BBC Sport, Bournemouth have made clear internally that they have no interest in sanctioning sales of their key players while they are still competing on multiple fronts this season, European football included. Two names in that conversation matter a great deal to us: Alex Scott and Rayan.
We think this tells us something bigger about where English football’s middle class currently sits. A club playing continental football for the first time in its history does not have to sell just because a bigger name comes calling, and Bournemouth clearly know it.
Scott Is The One Liverpool Actually Know
Our view is that Alex Scott is the more logical target of the two, and Andoni Iraola’s fingerprints are all over that logic. Iraola worked with Scott at Bournemouth before taking the Liverpool job, and managers rarely forget a player they trust.
Scott has kept developing since that spell together. He won his first senior England cap in the 2-0 Nations League win over Czechia, and he heads into the second half of this season with just eighteen months left on his contract come January. Chelsea already tried their luck with a £64m offer and were turned down flat.
With Curtis Jones gone to Inter Milan, we think Liverpool’s midfield genuinely needs freshening up rather than patching, and Scott offers energy, Premier League know-how and a manager who already understands exactly what he brings. Monaco’s Lamine Camara has also been linked, which suggests to us that Scott is one option among several rather than a standalone priority.
Rayan Is A Different Conversation Entirely
Rayan is a harder sell financially, in our opinion. The Brazilian has settled quickly since his move from Vasco da Gama in January 2026, contributing five goals and two assists in fifteen Premier League outings, and Bournemouth are said to be holding out for a release clause in the region of £130m.
At twenty years old and tied down until 2031, there is no pressure on Bournemouth to even entertain a discount. We admire the talent, but that fee places him in a completely different bracket to Scott, and we would be surprised if Liverpool moved for both in the same window.
Our Take: Patience Is The Only Sensible Approach
Eli Junior Kroupi has reportedly been grouped alongside Scott and Rayan as players Bournemouth intend to keep regardless of interest elsewhere, and we do not think that stance is going to soften while the club remains in the hunt for European qualification and cup progress.
Our honest take is that Liverpool should treat this as a watching brief rather than an active pursuit for now. Scott’s contract situation gives Liverpool leverage that will only grow stronger the closer he gets to his final year, and we would rather see the club wait for that moment than overpay in January simply to force the issue.
Rayan is a name worth filing away for the summer rather than chasing now. A £130m release clause is not the kind of fee you meet out of impatience, and Bournemouth have shown every sign of ambition to match their newfound European status.
Iraola knows better than most what he would be getting in Scott. That familiarity could eventually be the difference when this move does happen, whenever that turns out to be.