CHERRIES are set to shatter their club record transfer after Spanish club Levante finally agreed to sell midfielder Jefferson Lerma.

The La Liga outfit yesterday confirmed they had accepted an initial £25million bid from Cherries with the deal rising to £28m with add-ons.

Colombian international Lerma is due at Vitality Stadium on Tuesday where he will undergo a medical and finalise terms on a five-year contract.

The deal – which would be the biggest in both clubs' history – is subject to Lerma being granted a work permit and then international clearance.

Lerma, 23, has to make an application to ply his trade in this country as he has not gained a sufficient number of international caps in a specified period.

A long-time target for boss Eddie Howe, Lerma’s signing would end a lengthy pursuit by Cherries who have tabled a series of bids over the summer.

It is believed the latest was Cherries’ final offer after Valencia-based Levante had rebuffed the Dorset club’s advances on several occasions.

Reports last week suggested the deal was off after Levante had ruled out the possibility of parting with Lerma, insisting he was not for sale.

Lerma, who helped Colombia reach the last 16 of the World Cup, had always had his heart set on playing in the Premier League and handed in a transfer request.

Primarily a holding midfielder, Lerma has also been deployed at right-back and impressed for Levante last season, making 28 appearances in La Liga.

He penned a four-year deal with the Spanish top-flight outfit when he signed permanently – following a successful 12-month loan – from Atletico Huila for a fee of around €600,000 in July 2016.

Lerma's former club near his El Cerrito home in Colombia are understood to be entitled to a sizeable sell-on as part of the transfer.

He played all four games for Colombia at the World Cup where they eventually went out on penalties to England following a feisty contest in which he was substituted in the second half.

Lerma will become the third addition to the Cherries squad following the arrivals of David Brooks from Sheffield United for £10m and Diego Rico from Leganes for £10.7m.

Meanwhile, reports suggesting Cherries have made a fresh £12m offer for Brentford defender Chris Mepham are believed by the Daily Echo to be wide of the mark.

Mepham, who was understood to have been the subject of a failed bid from Cherries earlier this summer, is still thought to be a possible target for boss Howe.