Bournemouth have confirmed the permanent signing of Alex Jimenez from AC Milan for a reported £16.5m (€19m) transfer fee. 

Jimenez, who joined the Cherries initially on loan from the Serie A giants at the start of the season, has met the appearance threshold required to make his loan move permanent. 

The Spaniard has put pen to paper on a long-term contract that will keep him at the club until 2031, further boosting Andoni Iraola's defensive options. 

Jimenez has quickly become a fan favourite at Vitality Stadium and has made 23 appearances in all competitions for Bournemouth this season. 

Only Adrien Truffert (40) has won more tackles for Bournemouth in 2025-26 than Jimenez (35), with the full-back scoring his first goal for the club against Liverpool last month. 

"Alex is a young talent who has already demonstrated his energy and commitment to the squad during these opening months with the club," Bournemouth's president of football operations, Tiago Pinto, said. 

"He has incredible pedigree, having begun his development at both Real Madrid and AC Milan.

"We're delighted to have him as part of our project, which began last summer and now continues after the obligation was triggered."

Bournemouth also confirmed club captain Adam Smith had signed a new one-year deal, keeping him at the club until the end of 2026-27. 

Smith, who joined Bournemouth permanently in 2014 after an initial loan spell in 2010-11, has gone on to make 418 appearances for the Cherries, 248 of which have been in the Premier League. 

"I'm delighted to extend my contract with Bournemouth and continue my journey at this special club," Smith said. 

"I'm incredibly proud to be part of this group and truly grateful for the trust the club has placed in me.

"I'm excited to keep contributing, to push ourselves every week, and to work together towards achieving something special."

Bournemouth beat Everton 2-1 on Tuesday to move up to ninth in the Premier League.