Amid the excitement generated by Bournemouth’s signing of Brazilian forward Rayan on Tuesday, there may soon be another new signing locked in for a move to Vitality Stadium.
President of football operations Tiago Pinto confirmed in his programme notes for Saturday's thrilling win over champions Liverpool – let those last few words sink in – that defender Alex Jimenez’s loan move from AC Milan may soon become permanent.
Pinto wrote: "We are close to activating our obligation to sign Alex on a permanent basis.
"Alex is a player who has really grown over the last few months and that has been evident with his Player of the Month award for December, as well as multiple man-of-the-match performances."
It was reported when he joined the Cherries at the end of August that an obligation to buy would be triggered if Jimenez made 18 Premier League starts this season.
The Liverpool game was his 15th and it seems inconceivable, barring injury, that the young Spaniard will not start at least three of their remaining 15 games in 2025-26.
Fan reaction to Jimenez has gone from some initially questioning why the loan signing was needed, with three right-backs already on the books, to lauding the 20-year-old's recent performances and revelling in the passion he has showed.
With boss Andoni Iraola's options limited by a raft of injuries, Jimenez's versatility has shone through as he has lined up in wide midfield roles as well as his regular right-back position.
Playing in midfield against Liverpool, Jimenez opened his goalscoring account for the Cherries and dominated Reds left-back Milos Kerkez to such an extent that he was substituted at half-time against his former side.
And while Jimenez was picked out as a breakthrough player to watch in Pat Nevin’s BBC Football Extra newsletter (as highlighted on this page earlier on Wednesday), his form has flown under the radar of much of the national media.
However, those who watch the side regularly will feel that Bournemouth have quietly unearthed another star.
