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Bournemouth prepared to bid £30m for contract of Vasco teenage sensation Rayan - sources

Bournemouth have entered the race to sign Vasco da Gama teenage striker Rayan as a replacement for Antoine Semenyo, following his departure to Manchester City, sources have told ESPN.

Rayan, 19, has been a revelation in Brazil's top flight last season and has an £69 million (€80m) release clause.

Sources said that the Brazilian outfit has set a £43.5m (€50m) masking price for Rayan and the Cherries are prepared to offer £30m (€35m) for the Brazil U20 player.

Semenyo joined City last week on a £62.5m (€72m) transfer while Justin Kluivert and David Brooks are sidelined through injury.

Sources added that Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Crystal Palace are also interested in Rayan, who has already turned down a lucrative move to Zenit. Rayan is in no hurry to leave the Rio de Janeiro-based club.

He recently extended his contract with Vasco until December 2028, which included a wage increase.

Vasco president Pedro Paulo de Oliveira told ESPN his club is doing all it can to keep Rayan at the club for as long as possible but admitted the interest in the player is such that it could prove "an almost impossible mission."

"We value the player in terms of contracts, not only to increase the buyout clause, but also to give him a salary compatible with his value in the international market," he said.

"This is one of the mechanisms we have to keep Rayan.

"With that, we managed to reject an offer, which wasn't from the most powerful team in Europe, but it was a very large offer. It's Zenit [St. Petersburg]. We managed to convince Rayan to stay for this initial period. There's almost daily pressure on the player, so there's a whole conversation with agents, with Rayan's family, so that we can keep him here for as long as possible, which is an almost impossible mission."