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First Team

Ünal arrives at the Cherries

AFC Bournemouth are delighted to sign Turkey international Enes Ünal on an initial loan.

The forward arrives at Vitality Stadium on loan for the remainder of the season, which contains the obligation to make the move permanent if certain conditions are met.

The 26-year-old makes the move having established himself as a prolific finisher for Spanish side Getafe, scoring 34 goals in 104 games, which includes double figure returns in his last two seasons.

Ünal began his career at hometown club Bursaspor, becoming the Süper Lig’s youngest goalscorer when he netted against Galatasaray as a 16-year-old.

He made a permanent move to Manchester City in 2015, spending time on loan at Genk, NAC Breda and FC Twente, scoring 18 times in 32 Eredivisie games for the latter.

Capped 32 times by his country, Ünal has enjoyed further spells with Villarreal, Levante and Real Valladolid before completing a transfer to Getafe in 2020.

Ünal finished as Getafe’s top scorer for both 2021/22 and 2022/23 with 16 and 15 goals respectively and is nearing a century of goals from his 333 career appearances.

Neill Blake, AFC Bournemouth’s chief executive, said: “We’re really pleased to welcome Enes to the club and believe he’ll add strength to our front line.

“He’s proven that he can score goals in multiple different countries, and we believe he’s got the skillset to succeed in the Premier League.”