Bournemouth release 11 players with Crystal Palace-bound midfielder and long-serving winger leaving… as Gary O’Neil looks to strengthen his squad
- Bournemouth secured Premier League safety after finishing in 15th place
- The club have released 11 players including record signing Jefferson Lerma
- Junior Stanislas, Jack Stacey and Jordan Zemura are among those leaving
Bournemouth have confirmed 11 players will depart the club at the end of their contracts this summer, with club-record signing Jefferson Lerma and long-serving winger Junior Stanislas among those leaving as free agents.
Lerma is among four first-team players not extending their stay at Vitality Stadium, with the combative midfielder instead joining Crystal Palace on a three-year deal.
Junior Stanislas, Jack Stacey and Jordan Zemura will also all move on at the end of the month as Gary O’Neil looks to reshape his squad ahead of next season.
In total, nine professionals and two scholars will depart the south coast side.
Lerma was expected to leave at the end of the campaign after hesitating over penning fresh terms, and Palace moved quickly to win the race for his signature.
Jefferson Lerma is among the 11 Bournemouth players leaving the club on free transfers
Junior Stanislas (right) will also depart Vitality Stadium after just shy of a decade of service
After arriving for £25million from Levante in 2018, the 28-year-old rapidly became undroppable and went on to make 184 appearances across all competitions.
It is understood a lucrative new contract had been tabled for some time although he instead opted to move on, bringing his chapter at the Cherries to a close.
Stanislas has also followed him through the exit door after just shy of a decade. The winger twice helped Bournemouth reach the Premier League following his move from Burnley in 2014 and played 179 games in total, scoring 37 goals.
He was dogged by injury woes during the latter stages of his stint and made five outings last campaign, including four Premier League cameos, as result.
Left back Jordan Zemura agreed a pre-contract with Udinese in March.
Mail Sport understands the academy graduate and his representatives failed to engage with the club over a contract offer, leading to him being frozen out.
He played 61 times for Bournemouth after breaking into the senior set-up.
Full back Jack Stacey leaves after four years and has signed for Norwich.
Jordan Zemura, a Cherries academy graduate, agreed a pre-contract with Serie A side Udinese
Boss Gary O’Neil will look to strengthen his squad after leading them to safety last season
In the youth ranks, youngster Brooklyn Genesini has departed after a loan spell in Denmark. The 21-year-old netted during the Cherries’ Carabao Cup victory over Norwich last season, but was deemed unlikely to take the next step up.
Matt Burgess, Chris Francis, Tarik Gidaree and Josh Popoola have also departed, with scholars Ollie Camis and Marcus Daws joining them.
Jack Stephens and Matias Vina have returned to Southampton and Roma respectively, though the club are understood to be open to signing the latter.
Bournemouth finished 15th in the Premier League, with rookie boss O’Neil leading them to safety after replacing Scott Parker following his dismissal in August.
