REPORTS linking Cherries with a £57million double swoop for World Cup stars Jefferson Lerma and Diego Laxalt are believed to be wide of the mark by the Daily Echo.

The Sun today claimed Cherries boss Eddie Howe was “ready to take the club's spending to the next level with a whopping outlay on two players”.

It was said Cherries were “making a record £32m bid for Colombian World Cup midfielder Jefferson Lerma” and added Howe “could follow that up with a £25m swoop for Uruguay’s brilliant left-back Diego Laxalt”.

However, sources close to the Daily Echo tonight described suggestions Cherries were planning to stump up £57m for the two players as “ridiculous”.

While both Lerma and Laxalt are understood to be possible targets for Cherries, Leganes’ Diego Rico is believed to be ahead of the Uruguayan on Howe’s wish-list.

Lerma plays his club football for Spanish top-flight outfit Levante, Cherries’ opponents in a pre-season friendly at La Manga Club on Friday.

The versatile 23-year-old helped Colombia reach the last 16 of the World Cup where they eventually went out on penalties to England.

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

Lerma signed permanently on a four-year deal in July 2016 for a fee of around 600,000 euro and The Sun was the first paper to link him with Cherries.

The national paper also claimed Cherries and Everton were set to battle it out for Laxalt, who starred for his country in Russia.

It was suggested the 25-year-old, also reportedly a target for Crystal Palace, would command a fee of around £18m.

Versatile Laxalt, who began his career with Defensor Sporting Club, caught the eye for Uruguay at left-back as they reached the quarter-finals.

He moved to Inter Milan in 2013 for a fee in the region of £2m but did not feature for the Italian club before joining Genoa for £5m three years later.

Laxalt, who has made more than 100 appearances for Genoa, is the third left-back to have been linked with Cherries this summer.