Bournemouth have had a £12 million offer for Wales international Chris Mepham accepted by Brentford.
Mepham, 21, has been a long-term target for Cherries manager Eddie Howe, who has tried to sign him in each of the past two transfer windows.
With defender Simon Francis facing up to nine months on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Mepham will be a welcome addition to a Bournemouth side who picked up their first win in five matches on Saturday when they beat West Ham United 2-0.
He began his career in Chelsea’s academy but was released aged 14. He then moved onto Brentford in 2012, and was promoted to the first team in 2016 after the departure of Harlee Dean.
Predominantly a centre-back, Mepham is also capable of playing on the right side of defence and has made 48 appearances for Brentford and scored once.
The four-cap defender is expected to become Bournemouth’s third signing of the January window, after Nathaniel Clyne and Dominic Solanke both joined from Liverpool; full-back Clyne signed on loan for the remainder of the season, while Solanke, the England forward, penned permanent terms in a £19million deal.
