Alex Jimenez suspended by Bournemouth over claims he messaged 15-year-old girl

Bournemouth have suspended defender Alex Jimenez over claims he allegedly sent messages to a 15-year-old girl. The 21-year-old Spaniard, who arrived from AC Milan last summer, will not feature in Saturday's Premier League fixture against Fulham. Today, the club launched a probe and said: “ AFC Bournemouth are aware of posts circulating on social media involving right-back, Alex Jimenez. "The club understands the seriousness of the matter and it is currently being investigated. As a result, Alex will not be included in the squad for tomorrow’s Premier League game against Fulham and the club will be making no further comment at this time.” In his pre-match press conference, Bournemouth’s head coach Andoni Iraola said: “The club has to do their investigations and see what has really happened. We will then move from there. I hope it’s not what we think.” The £15million defender has been one of Bournemouth’s breakout stars in a season which could see the south coast side qualify for Europe for the first time. Bournemouth are due to sign Jimenez permanently from AC Milan in the summer after a buy clause was triggered in his loan deal earlier this year. The star started his career with his local sides Talavera and UD Talavera as a youngster. He joined Real Madrid in 2012 where he caught the attention of Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Jimenez was loaned to AC Milan for the 2023–24 season and later made the move permanent. He made his debut for the Italian side in January 2024 against Cagliari in a 4–1 Coppa Italia home win match. Born in Leganes, Spain, Jimenez played for both Talavera CF and UD Talavera before moving to Madrid. He's represented Spain at under-15, U17, 19 and U21 level. After joining Milan on loan in July 2023, the Italian giants activated their £4.3m option to buy Jimenez later than season. He made 23 first-team appearances at San Siro. Jimenez has scored one goal for Bournemouth, coming in their 3-2 win at home to Liverpool in January. He's helped Andoni Iraola's team rise to sixth in the table with three games to go. Should they finish in the top six, Bournemouth could qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club's 127-year history. That is because Aston Villa , who are currently fifth, have reached the final of the Europa League .