AFC Bournemouth are determined not to sell Junior Kroupi this summer, despite reports continuing to link him with interest from Arsenal.
Mark Douglas of The i Paper reports that Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United are all interested in young Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi, but the player is not for sale at any price this summer.
Bournemouth are reportedly bullish about their chances of retaining their key players this summer, with no release clause in Kroupi’s deal.
The earliest that a transfer would be considered is 2027, and the club would then want £100m or more. There is reported bemusement at claims the player is valued at £60m, and Kroupi is understood to be happy and settled where he is.
Peter Rutzler confirms for The Times that Arsenal are among the big-name clubs tracking Kroupi, but again insists that Bournemouth are determined to keep him.
Bournemouth are expecting their resolve to be tested, given the level of interest in Kroupi, and Rutzler names Barcelona as another club in the mix. But the south-coast side believe their best option is to keep him for now and potentially cash in later.
Tom Canton of Football.London had broken the recent news of Arsenal’s interest in the player, but it doesn’t look like the story is going much further than that right now.
Arsenal fans will be aware of Kroupi for not-so-positive reasons, given he scored in both the home and away games against the Gunners this season.
The 19-year-old has 11 goals in 29 games overall, playing his first season in the Premier League. The teenager had been playing for FC Lorient in Ligue 2 last season, scoring 23 goals in 32 games to earn his move to England.
Arsenal certainly seem likely to sign forwards this summer, with the underperformance and injury problems associated with the current crop. But as it stands, Bournemouth’s stance makes this particular deal difficult.
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