CHERRIES today shattered their club record transfer fee by splashing out £25million on Levante's Colombian international midfielder Jefferson Lerma. 

The 23-year-old passed a medical at Vitality Stadium before finalising terms on a five-year contract, as revealed by the Daily Echo yesterday.

La Liga outfit Levante finally agreed to sell Lerma on Saturday when they confirmed they had accepted Cherries' bid, the fee eventually rising to £28m with add-ons.

The deal is the biggest in both clubs' history and is subject to Lerma receiving international clearance, which may come after Cherries' Premier League opener against Cardiff on Saturday.

Lerma had to make an application for a work permit as he has not gained a sufficient number of international caps in a specified period.

He completed the paperwork in France yesterday before heading to England to meet Cherries officials and boss Eddie Howe.

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

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

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, he 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 are understood to be entitled to a sizeable sell-on as part of the transfer, believed to be in excess of £3m.

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 becomes 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.