Bournemouth clarifies desire to sign Fraser to new deal

Bournemouth may be playing a dangerous game with Ryan Fraser.

The playmaker, long linked to Arsenal interest, is entering the final year of his contract and has had a new contract offer on the table for some time.

[ MORE: West Ham bids for 2 La Liga stars ]

But his 7-goal, 13-assist campaign was his best campaign yet, and his value has undoubtedly grown.

Bournemouth CEO Neill Blake says the club expects Fraser back when it starts preseason, though the idea of the Cherries letting him dial up another big number campaign before leaving for free is pretty preposterous.

“In September 2018, at the request of Ryan’s representative, negotiations were paused to allow the player to focus entirely on his football. ... During that time, I have been – and continue to be – in regular dialogue with Ryan’s representative, and have made it clear to both him and the player that our contract offer remains on the table.”

Fraser has a goal and four assists in his last five caps for Scotland, though the markers came versus Cyprus, Israel, San Marino, and Albanian (thought was held without production against Belgium).

Though we’d sure he’d prefer to have his future settled soon, Fraser could also see a major payday with another big season. Not to put him on the level with Aaron Ramsey (maybe) or Adrien Rabiot (ehhh), but they are going to have huge weekly wages since their clubs have not had to deal with transfer fees for the midfielders.

Follow @NicholasMendola