Portugal defender Antonio Silva says he is excited to join Bournemouth after signing for the Cherries in a deal worth up to £25.7m. It is a key signing for Bournemouth, who identified replacing Marcos Senesi, following his free-transfer move to Tottenham earlier this month, as a priority. It's a pleasure to play for Bournemouth and in the Premier League," Silva told the club's website. Club sources said an agreement was only reached after Benfica's Europa League qualifying-round win over Swiss side St Gallen on Thursday. The fee for Silva is worth an initial £21.4m, plus a further £4.3m in add-ons.