Bournemouth have signed Hungary midfielder Alex Toth for £10.4m from Ferencvaros.
The deal for the 20-year-old, who has joined the Cherries on a five-and-a-half year contract, includes a possible £2.6m in add-ons for the Hungarian club and Ferencvaros secured a 10 per cent sell-on clause should Toth move on in the future.
Benfica, Galatasaray and Lazio are also understood to have been keen on Toth, who has nine caps for his country.
“He has come from a club that is used to competing at the highest level in Hungary, while also featuring in Europe, so we’re excited about what he can bring to us in Bournemouth as he continues to develop further under the coaching of Andoni [Iraola],” said Bournemouth‘s head of football operations Tiago Pinto.
Bournemouth view Toth as cover and competition in the defensive midfield role, particularly with Tyler Adams currently sidelined through injury. The club were impressed by his physical metrics and strong personal references.
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He becomes the second Hungarian international to represent Bournemouth, following in the footsteps of Milos Kerkez, and adds further depth to Andoni Iraola’s midfield options.
The arrival of another central midfielder gives Iraola greater flexibility, allowing Alex Scott to be used higher up the pitch if required, while Marcus Tavernier can be pushed back out wide – once he returns from injury.
Toth also arrives with experience at both European and international level, having made nine senior appearances for Hungary.
Toth said: “It feels amazing to be part of this club and I’m excited to achieve good things.
“When I first heard about Bournemouth’s interest, I was really happy. This is a strong club in the Premier League, which for me is the best and strongest league in the world.
“The structure of the club is very impressive. After speaking with the directors, the decision became quite clear. I’m really looking forward to achieving good results and doing great things with this team.”