Brentford have completed the signing of forward Dango Ouattara for £42m from Bournemouth in a club-record deal.
Bournemouth were reluctant to sell, but after Ouattara made it clear he wanted to leave, the Cherries had no option but to allow him to go for a price they felt was fair market value, which includes add-ons. He has signed a five-year deal.
The transfer surpasses Brentford's previous club-record deal of £30m when they signed striker Igor Thiago from Club Bruges last summer.
Ouattara joined Bournemouth from Lorient in January 2023 and made 88 appearances, scoring 11 goals.
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews said: "We're really happy to get Dango in. He's someone that we were aware and surprised could be available and, once we knew that signing him might be a possibility, we really focused on trying to get him in.
"We liked his Premier League experience, even at his young age, and he just hasn't found the rhythm yet because of a lack of consistent game time.
"He also suits the way we want to play - he has something that we were lacking in the forward line, and he will complement what we already have in the building.
"The fans will love him; he's the type of player that they will get off their seat for."
Bournemouth are looking at replacements and have Amine Adli of Bayer Leverkusen as a key target.
Analysis: Iraola faces big weeks in the window
Sky Sports News' Richard Newman:
"The next two weeks are key.
"Iraola's Bournemouth squad is not where he hoped it would be.
"The defensive unit has changed dramatically - Kepa Arrizabalaga's loan from Chelsea ended without a permanent deal in place, Dean Huijsen's left for Real Madrid, Illia Zabarnyi is now at Paris Saint-Germain and Milos Kerkez lined up against his old side for Liverpool on Friday night.
"Some reinforcements have come in from France - Adrien Truffert and Bafode Diakite, but it's obvious there's hope there will be more.
"It's an unsettled period for a head coach who has Bournemouth going places, having achieved a record Premier League points tally last season when finishing ninth.
"But Iraola's record shows he can usually be trusted to have a plan, and the club's transfer policy is admired, so it may be that the Cherries boss will have to stay 'patient' as he put it, and all the pieces will fall into place before the window closes."
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