Bournemouth look certain to lose Lewis Grabban in the coming weeks, after Cardiff City met the £3million release clause in his contract.
The 26-year-old is one of the hottest properties in England outside of the top-flight, having registered 22 goals and six assists in 44 Championship appearances for the Cherries this term. Back in January Brighton & Hove Albion met his buyout fee of £1.1million, but he was persuaded to remain at Dean Court and sign a new contract.
However, as revealed by Sky Sports last week, the new deal also contains a release clause, which is believed to be £3million. Such a fee is sure to be of interest to several clubs during the summer transfer window, and Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe is likely to accept that he will probably lose his number 9 before pre-season begins.
It has already been suggested that Championship rivals Middlesbrough have lodged a bid for the striker, although this has since been denied by the Riverside Stadium club. However, Sky Sports claim Cardiff have now met the £3million clause, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to bounce back from the Bluebirds’ Premier League relegation.
That Cardiff can easily bid for Grabban shows the financial gap between the two clubs in question: the Welsh club made £62million in television money from their one season in the top-flight, and will also receive a further £40million in parachute payments. The £3million will be a record fee received by Howe’s club, beating the £1million they took in when selling another striker, Danny Ings, to Burnley back in 2011.
