Bournemouth complete club-record £40m signing of striker Evanilson after dropping interest in Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah

Bournemouth have confirmed the signing of Evanilson from Porto for a club-record £31.5m deal.

There is a potential £8.5m due in add-ons - taking the total fee to £40m - and a 10 per cent sell-on clause. 

The Cherries were interested in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah but the signing of Evanilson could now pave the way for Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest to step up their efforts to sign the 25-year-old. 

Brazilian striker Evanilson comes in as a replacement for Dominic Solanke, who joined Tottenham for £65m last week. 

'We are delighted to bring someone with an immense pedigree to AFC Bournemouth,' chief executive Neill Blake said.

'Evanilson is a hugely sought-after striker and for us to bring him to the club in a record-breaking deal shows our ambition and intent.

'Having scored 25 goals last season, including goals in the Champions League, we feel that his experience and ability despite only being 24 will help us to match our ambitions moving forward.

'It's well known that we were keen on bringing a striker to the football club and for us to complete this deal so quickly is a testament to our recruitment team.'

The Brazilian began his career in his native country before signing for Porto in 2020, where he scored 60 goals and assisted a further 21 over 154 appearances.

The 2023/24 campaign saw Evanilson net 25 times in all competitions, including four in the Champions League.