AFC Bournemouth have dropped defender Alex Jimenez from their squad after screenshots and videos allegedly showing conversations with a minor emerged online. The Premier League club also confirmed that an internal investigation into the matter has now been launched.
The 21-year-old, who has become a regular for Andoni Iraola this season, will not be part of Bournemouth’s squad for Saturday’s game against Fulham FC.
“AFC Bournemouth are aware of posts circulating on social media involving right-back Alex Jimenez,” the club said in an official statement.
“The club understands the seriousness of the matter and an investigation is currently underway…As a result, Alex will not be included in the squad for tomorrow’s Premier League game against Fulham and the club will not be commenting further at this time.”
The controversy erupted after screenshots and videos allegedly showing inappropriate conversations involving accounts allegedly belonging to underage girls began circulating online earlier this week.
The posts sparked a backlash on social media and Bournemouth were quick to respond publicly ahead of their pre-match media duties on Friday. Manager Iraola also briefly commented on the situation during an interview with journalists.
“The club must carry out an investigation and find out what really happened,” Iraola said.
“Then we’ll move on from there. I hope it’s not what we think.”
Jimenez has appeared in every Premier League game for Bournemouth since November and has become one of the key elements in Iraola’s system during the club’s push for European qualification.
WHO IS ALEX JIMENEZ?
Jimenez is regarded as one of Spain’s promising young defenders and operates primarily as a full-back.
Born in Madrid, the 21-year-old spent almost a decade with Real Madrid Castilla’s youth team before eventually joining AC Milan in 2023.
Bournemouth signed him on loan from Milan last summer before later agreeing a permanent deal in February which will reportedly keep him at the club until 2031.
He also represented Spain at youth international level.
This season, Jimenez has become a regular starter for Bournemouth, starting almost every Premier League game since November as the club climbed to sixth in the table.
With just three games left in the season, Bournemouth remain firmly in the race for European football.
WHAT ARE THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ALEXI JIMENEZ?
Bournemouth’s investigation is following the circulation of screenshots and videos online which allegedly show Jimenez engaged in conversations with a 15-year-old girl.
The screenshots, widely shared across social media platforms, allegedly contain inappropriate exchanges of information related to accounts believed to belong to underage girls.
At this stage, Bournemouth have not released any further details and have confirmed they will not be commenting further during the investigation.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
08 May 2026 20:38 IST
