HEAD coach Gary O’Neil stated Cherries have a “real clear understanding” of Jefferson Lerma’s contract situation, partly explaining why the midfielder remains a regular in the starting XI when his teammate Jordan Zemura is not.

Club record signing Lerma is out of contract this summer, alongside defender Zemura, stalwart Junior Stanislas, and right-back Jack Stacey.

In recent months, Cherries have moved to secure the long-term futures of winger Jaidon Anthony and club captain Neto.

Lerma joined Cherries for £25million in the summer of 2018 from then La Liga outfit Levante, with the midfielder himself recently stating that he would like one day to return to Spain.

The Colombian international has been one of the first names on the Cherries team sheet under five consecutive managers, missing just 144 minutes of Premier League action this term.

Asked if there had been any update in regards to Lerma’s contract, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “No update as yet.

“Hopefully Jeff decides to stay and hopefully there can be an agreement reached.

“But I think you see from his performance (against Fulham), there's absolutely no issue.

“I get on great with Jeff, and he gives absolutely everything every time he plays.

“So, yeah, no problem with the situation. And Jeff's in a good spot. I thought he played really well at the weekend (against Fulham)."

Eyebrows have been raised over the exclusion of Zemura, another player in the first-team squad with a contract that expires this summer.

The Zimbabwe international has missed the last four fixtures, a “club decision” being made to leave the left-back out of matchday squads following an apparent refusal from Zemura and his representatives to engage in discussions.

It is understood the club have offered the 23-year-old a significant pay-rise from his current terms.

If Lerma was to depart Vitality Stadium this summer, Cherries would not be due any compensation, whereas Zemura’s departure would see the club eligible for a fee, the size of which depending on whether he joined a domestic club or moved abroad.

Comparisons between the stances taken over Lerma’s and Zemura’s expiring deals have been raised by sections of Cherries’ fanbase.

Whilst O’Neil declined to go into exact detail into the differences between the two situations, he did share: “We spoke about the JZ (Zemura) situation already, and I'd rather focus on the whole group and where we are and what we're trying to get ready for.

“But, the club have a real clear understanding of the Jefferson Lerma situation and where we are.

“So there's absolutely no problem there. Jeff will continue to be around and play, and continue to perform the way he is.

“And we'll use him, and he's a very important player to us.”