Premier League side Bournemouth have completed the signing of French centre-back Bafodé Diakité from Lille OSC in a deal worth £34.6m.
The 24-year-old arrives at the Vitality Stadium for an initial £30.3m fee, with a further £4.3m in performance-related add-ons, making him the Cherries’ second most expensive signing in history.
Diakité, who made 31 Ligue 1 appearances last season as Lille finished fifth, also featured 10 times in the Champions League. Since joining Lille from Toulouse FC for £2.5m in 2022, he has made 112 appearances in all competitions and scored 13 goals — the most by any defender in France during his three-year stint at the club.
His arrival comes amid a defensive rebuild for Andoni Iraola’s side, following the high-profile departures of Illia Zabarnyi to Paris Saint-Germain for £57m, Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid for £50m, and Milos Kerkez to Liverpool for £40m.
Bournemouth have already added left-back Adrien Truffert from Rennes in a £14.4m move this summer and are still seeking another central defender before the transfer window closes.
Diakité will link up immediately with Iraola’s squad as they prepare to face reigning champions Liverpool in their Premier League opener on Friday.
Bournemouth’s transfer record remains last season’s signing of striker Evanilson from Porto, in a deal that could rise to £40.2m.