Sporting director José Ignacio Navarro's search for a marquee number nine has been complicated by Tigre's demands for Romero, prompting Sevilla's recruitment staff to open an alternative route offering immediate adaptation to Spanish football, according to a report from journalist Matteo Moretto.
Sevilla have asked Bournemouth about Ünal's situation, with the 29-year-old Turkey international keen to leave the Cherries and open to a return to LaLiga.
Ünal's contract with the English club runs until June 2028, but he made just 23 Premier League appearances last season, all as a substitute, for a single goal in 233 minutes, having lost much of the campaign to a second anterior cruciate ligament tear; he suffered an earlier version of the same injury during his time at Getafe, which cost him the first half of the 2023-24 LaLiga season.
Ünal knows Spanish football well, having previously played for Villarreal, Levante, Real Valladolid and Getafe. It was at Getafe where he produced his best form, scoring 34 goals in 103 LaLiga appearances.
Bournemouth first took him on loan in January 2024 before completing a permanent deal for around £13m later that year. Sevilla face competition for his signature, however, with both Alavés and his former club Getafe also monitoring his situation and hoping to bring him back to Spain this summer.
Unlike the long-term project that David Romero would represent, the Ünal option offers more immediate guarantees. His physical presence to occupy opposing centre-backs, his ability with his back to goal and his power in front of net match the profile of a self-sufficient, physical number nine that coach Luis García Plaza wants leading his attack.
The strong institutional relationship between Sevilla and Bournemouth, the two clubs are also finalising the transfer of Juanlu Sánchez, could prove decisive in any deal.
For now, the operation remains at an early exploratory stage, but interest at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in the Turkish forward is gathering pace as a solid alternative option to strengthen the attack this summer.