Bournemouth are set to beat Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and West Bromwich Albion to sign defender Tyrone Mings from Ipswich Town in a record £8 million fee.
Mings has reportedly signed a four-year contract with the Cherries following talks on Wednesday night, provided he passes a medical exam. The 22-year-old also met with Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, with whom he was much impressed.
The 6 ft 5 in defender plays primarily as a left-back, but Howe may be planning to play him in the centre of defence alongside another recent addition, Sylvain Distin. In exchange, it is believed that Bournemouth will send midfielder Ryan Fraser to Ipswich on loan. The deal is set to be announced on Friday.
The English defender, who was rejected by Southampton at the age of 16, was playing football with non-league Chippenham Town when Ipswich offered him a trial at their club in 2012.
Mings’ £10,000 transfer proved to be a wise investment for the Championship club, for whom he made 42 appearances last season. He improved greatly under manager Mick McCarthy, attracting attention from clubs such as Arsenal and Crystal Palace, the latter of which had a £3 million bid for Mings rejected last September.
However, despite interest from many Premier League clubs, Bournemouth’s willingness to meet Ipswich’s valuation of the player put them above the competition.
Mings’ £8 million signing beats Bournemouth’s transfer record as their previous record signing was Callum Wilson, who joined for £3 million in 2014.
