Bournemouth have completed two deals, landing Brazilian striker Rayan from Vasco da Gama for an initial £24.7m on a five-and-a-half year contract with potential add-ons. The 19-year-old arrives as a replacement for Antoine Semenyo, who joined Manchester City for around £65m earlier this month. The club also secured Greek goalkeeper Christos Mandas from Lazio on a loan with an option to buy.
Bournemouth land Rayan for £24.7m and add Lazio keeper Mandas on loan
Bournemouth signed striker Rayan from Vasco da Gama for an initial £24.7m on a five-and-a-half year deal that includes £5.6m in potential add-ons. The Premier League club said it beat competition from other European sides, as well as clubs in Saudi Arabia and Russia, to secure the 19-year-old Brazilian.
The move is Bournemouth’s joint-second biggest transfer, behind the £32m it paid to sign fellow Brazilian forward Evanilson from Porto in 2024. Rayan joins as a replacement for attacker Antoine Semenyo, who moved to Manchester City for around £65m earlier this month.
Rayan is primarily a left-footed centre-forward but can also play on either flank. The Brazil under-20 international scored 14 goals in 34 Brazilian top-flight matches last season, and has 25 goals in 99 games since breaking through at Vasco da Gama. “I am happy and honoured to be here, especially with the sporting project they developed for me,” Rayan said.
Bournemouth president of football operations Tiago Pinto said Rayan has already shown “impressive consistency and maturity for his age.” Pinto added that the club believes the teenager has “enormous potential,” and called Bournemouth “the right environment for him to continue his development and make an impact” as the club continues to reinvest in the squad.
Bournemouth also completed a loan deal for Greek goalkeeper Christos Mandas from Serie A side Lazio. Mandas, 24, joins until the end of the season with an option to buy, with Bournemouth paying a 1.5m euros (£1.3m) loan fee and owing an extra £860,000 if they opt against a permanent move; a transfer would cost £16m. Mandas has made 33 appearances for Lazio, has two international caps, and is the club’s first Greek player, while becoming the second goalkeeper to arrive this month after Fraser Forster joined on a six-month deal.
