CHERRIES are reportedly plotting an £18million bid for Levante’s Colombian international Jefferson Lerma.

The Sun claims the Dorset club is hoping to agree a fee with the Spanish outfit while the player is on duty with Colombia at the World Cup.

Lerma was named in his country’s 23-man squad for Russia and 40-1 outsiders Colombia are in Group H along with Japan, Senegal and Poland.

The versatile 23-year-old predominantly operates as a central midfielder but can also play just in front of the defence and at right-back.

Lerma, who collected 19 bookings in 29 games last season, was apparently left out of the Levante team towards the end of the campaign as the club fielded offers.

The Sun suggests Cherries’ bid “is the best”, according to “insiders”, despite interest from other clubs in La Liga and the German Bundesliga.

Lerma has played in Spain for the past three seasons and has just broken into the Colombia national side, having been capped five times by his country.

The Sun also says he would be eligible for a work permit, “partly because of the cost of the transfer”.

Lerma joined Valencia-based Levante, initially on a 12-month loan, in 2015 after starting his career in his homeland with Atletico Huila.

He signed permanently on a four-year deal in July 2016 for a fee of around 600,000 euro.

Meanwhile, The Daily Mirror claims Cherries boss Eddie Howe is interested in Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin – but says the forward “is preparing to fight for his place” at Goodison Park.

The tabloid reports the 21-year-old has “the intention of impressing new boss Marco Silva” in pre-season and that the Portuguese will “preside over a shake-up… and give younger players more of a chance”.

An Under-20 World Cup winner alongside Lewis Cook, Calvert-Lewin started eight of previous boss Sam Allardyce’s first 10 games after he took over in November.

But the former Sheffield United man then started just twice more following the £27million arrival of Cenk Tosun in January and saw his season ended early by a stress fracture in his back.

Calvert-Lewin is expected to return to full fitness later this summer.

Elsewhere, Get French Football News reports Cherries are keen on Strasbourg defender Kenny Lala.

The website says the 26-year-old, whose contract expires in 2019, is one of Cherries’ "main targets at right-back" this summer.