AFC Bournemouth have signed winger Dango Ouattara on a five and a half year deal.
He’s the first addition of the Bill Foley era and joins the Cherries from Foley’s recent investment side Lorient in France.
Ouattara, 20, has shot to prominence this season, netting six goals and supplying six assists in 18 appearances in Ligue 1, his exploits helping Lorient to seventh place.
His displays included scoring in four successive games in September, Ouattara adding to his goal and assist tally in Lorient’s 2-2 draw with high-flying Monaco last week.
Ouattara had been attracting the attention of several clubs in Europe, including some of the Cherries’ Premier League rivals.
AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake said: “We are pleased to secure the services of Dango, a promising and sought-after player with a great deal of potential.
“We have been monitoring him for a period of time and he fits the profile of the young, ambitious, hungry and hard-working player this club is looking to recruit.
“Bill has outlined his ambitious plans for the club and the signing of an exciting prospect like Dango is testament to the direction he is looking to take us.”
Ouattara, who made 15 appearances for Lorient last season, made his international debut for Burkina Faso during a friendly with Mauritania in December 2021.
He scored his first goal for his country in a 1-0 win over Tunisia in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2022 and has hit five goals in 11 games for Burkina Faso.
Born in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouattara joined Lorient from Burkinabe club Majestic in the summer of 2020 before signing his first professional contract in May 2021.