Alex Scott to Chelsea or Liverpool: Bournemouth reportedly name a January price

Unconfirmed, and expensive: Bournemouth are reportedly willing to let Alex Scott leave in January, at a price of about £100m.

That is BBC Sport's line from 13 October, citing senior sources. It is a big shift. Bournemouth's message through the summer was that the 23-year-old England midfielder was not for sale, and Chelsea's opening bid of £60m (rising to £64m with add-ons) was rejected, according to the same report.

Who wants him

Sky Sports says Chelsea and Liverpool both keep a serious interest, and that an offer above £80m with add-ons would have to be taken seriously. Sky adds that Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham were interested before strengthening their midfields in the summer.

The newspapers cannot agree on who leads. The Mail had Liverpool in pole position on 15 October, with Scott valued at £100m. Two weeks later the Mail said Chelsea could agree a deal of around £90m before January, and the Daily Mirror called Chelsea frontrunners. Both Mail lines come through BBC Sport's gossip column, and the Mirror's through Sky Sports' paper review.

What is not known

Nobody has reported an actual January bid. The BBC attaches a condition: if Bournemouth are fighting relegation, they may decide they need him to survive. That looks a smaller problem now. After beating Leeds 2-0 on Saturday, a sixth straight win according to Sky Sports, they were seventh in Sky's table early that evening.

The reports also disagree on Scott himself. The BBC says he has been pushing to leave since turning down two contract offers at the end of last season. Sky says he will not agitate for a move, though he is ambitious and keen to explore bigger options. His contract had just over 18 months to run in mid-October, per Sky, which is the clock Bournemouth are playing against. TeamTalk, via BBC Sport's gossip column, says the owner, Bill Foley, has sanctioned another club record offer.

He is also still working back from injury. Sky reported he exacerbated a thigh tendon problem on England duty, in the same squad where he made his senior debut. Marco Rose said on 29 October that Scott would miss the Leeds match and could be an option for the next league game against Ipswich, or after the international break.

The denial that is not quite one

Rose has refused to feed the story. "We just closed the other transfer window and we're now talking about the next one," the Bournemouth head coach said, adding that Scott was committed to the club.

That is a manager declining to discuss rumours, not a promise. In the summer he said Scott would stay, and Scott stayed, so Rose has some record here. January is a different window with a different price tag.

The read

A £100m figure from senior sources is a signal to Chelsea and Liverpool, not a price anyone has paid. If the clubs think Bournemouth are bluffing, they wait. If they think the contract clock is on their side, they wait too. Watch the league table before you watch the headlines: the higher Bournemouth climb, the easier it is for them to say yes.