Bournemouth owner Bill Foley has reassured supporters that the Cherries have not 'given up hope' in their attempts to persuade Alex Scott to sign a new contract.

Scott is one of the hottest properties in the Premier League and has attracted the attention of all of its wealthiest clubs, but Foley hopes to keep him at the Vitality Stadium beyond this season by extending his contract.

The current deal ends at the end of 2027/28, putting him firmly in a position where Bournemouth will need to decide soon whether, and how, to make sure they get the best possible transfer fee.

Bournemouth the 'right place' for Scott despite interest from rivals

Currently injured, the Guernsey-born England international was the target of a reported £64 million bid from Chelsea in the summer transfer window. Bournemouth are believed to want £100 million and rejected the offer outright.

Chelsea's interest remains, and both Liverpool and Manchester City have been credited with an interest in signing the 23-year-old. La Liga titans Real Madrid are also reported to be tracking the midfielder.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Foley reiterated Bournemouth's position but also admitted that 'players' can be tempted away by clubs like Chelsea and Man City.

"At this point, we're convinced we're the right place for Alex to be and to stay, and we'll keep on addressing the contract issues with Alex as we move through this year." said Foley, who also owns A-League side Auckland FC and the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights.

"We'd love to have Alex stay here and sign a new contract and be part of this team for the long haul. We haven't given up, but sometimes players get stars in their eyes and they think that Chelsea or Manchester City is the right place to go.

"We have to respect the fact that a lot of our players are younger, and they've come to Bournemouth with the expectation that they'll get time to play and perhaps move on to a bigger team."

Scott picked up a thigh injury on England duty and missed Bournemouth's last two Premier League matches against Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as their Europa League game against Sturm Graz and Thursday's win against AC Milan.

The Cherries have won all three of their Europa League matches, including successive 3-0 wins in the two European home matches in their history in Scott's absence.

Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan gave them a helping hand in the face on Thursday, earning himself a straight red card with the Rossoneri already behind to a Justin Kluivert penalty.

Marcus Tavernier converted Bournemouth's second spot kick before Amine Adli rounded off a historic victory with a free kick.