£26m Silva move has required patience from Bournemouth

[Getty Images] Antonio Silva would be a key signing for Bournemouth, who identified replacing Marcos Senesi, following his free-transfer move to Tottenham earlier this month, as a priority. Club sources say the £26m move for Silva has required patience, with an agreement only reached after Benfica's Europa League qualifying-round victory over Swiss side St Gallen on Thursday. Silva has been a regular for Benfica since breaking into the first team in 2022 and has featured in the Champions League, Europa League and Club World Cup. He has 20 caps and was in Portugal's squads for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 but was not selected for this summer's tournament. Silva is expected to become the Cherries' second signing of the summer after the arrival of striker Alvaro Rodriguez from Elche in a deal worth up to £25.7m . Bournemouth, under new boss Marco Rose, are aiming for a summer of stability after selling more than £200m worth of players last year . They are determined to resist offers for three of their key players - Alex Scott, Rayan and Eli Junior Kroupi - though the latter is set to miss three to four months because of injury.