Arsenal interest in £100m-rated striker ‘very real’ as spectacular January transfer eyed

Arsenal are extremely keen on a move for Bournemouth forward Eli Junior Kroupi, though TEAMtalk understands it will take a huge fee to lure him from the Vitality Stadium in January.

Kroupi, 20, is undoubtedly one of Europe’s most exciting young forwards, having notched an impressive 13 Premier League goals last season – the most of any teenager in the division in their debut season.

He is yet to feature this season after undergoing surgery on a foot injury sustained during pre-season, which has kept him sidelined for three months.

That hasn’t deterred Arsenal, however.

According to Football.London reporter Tom Canton, Kroupi is very much a player for Arsenal fans to ‘keep an eye on’ for the January transfer window.

“Arsenal haven’t made a major signing in January for quite a while. Depending upon Junior Kroupi and his potential availability in January is one to keep an eye on,” Canton wrote.

“We reported at the start of the summer that Arsenal had a genuine interest in him and had he not got that injury, I would have been intrigued to see if Arsenal would have played a stronger card at the end of this window, rather than waiting on the [Julian] Alvarez situation to see if that was going to change. Interest is very real.”

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Arsenal facing £100m hurdle to Kroupi transfer

Bournemouth certainly won’t make things easy for Arsenal.

TEAMtalk revealed earlier this month that while Arsenal’s interest in Kroupi remains concrete, Bournemouth are demanding a whopping £100million for his signature.

In fact, the south coast club are demanding £100million for each of Kroupi, Alex Scott and Rayan. The message is clear: Bournemouth will not part ways with their best players unless a huge offer arrives.

Mikel Arteta’s desire to bring a new striker to Arsenal is nothing new.

Atletico Madrid superstar Julian Alvarez was their dream target over the summer, and he could emerge as an option again in January.

But if Kroupi rediscovers his form once he recovers from injury – likely to be towards the end of October – Arsenal are likely to seriously consider a January bid.

Arteta is keen to bring in more competition for Kai Havertz, with back-up forward Viktor Gyokeres struggling for form and consistent minutes in the early stages of this season.

A £100m fee for Kroupi may seem steep, but if he reaches his world-class potential, it will be well worth it in the long run.

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