Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are among the clubs keen on Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi – but The i Paper can reveal he is not for sale at any price this summer.
Despite losing some of their best players over the last 12 months the Cherries, under the stewardship of outgoing boss Andoni Iraola, are pushing for European football. That has been spearheaded by the prodigious 19-year-old Kroupi.
He has 12 goals in 30 games and is understood to be firmly on the radar of United, City and Arsenal. Liverpool – who are looking to reshape their attack with Mo Salah set to depart – are also firm admirers.
But Kroupi will not be leaving this summer, with Bournemouth bullish about their chances of retaining their key talents under new boss Marco Rose. Unlike last year – when a combination of release clauses coming into effect and the club’s need to sell to stay within financial fair play restrictions made exits inevitable – they believe the core of this year’s overperforming group will remain on the South Coast.
Crucially, The i Paper understands that there is no release clause in the contract Kroupi signed when he moved to England from Lorient for £10m in February last year.
That gives Bournemouth control over Kroupi’s future as they ponder a new contract to reflect his stellar debut season. The earliest a transfer would be considered is the summer of 2027 – and then the value would be £100m plus, with some of Europe’s biggest clubs expected to join the chase if his progress continues at its current rate.
Kroupi is the latest star to emerge at Bournemouth, whose recruitment record and ability to mitigate the loss of star players has been impressive under the ownership of Bill Foley. Antoine Semenyo’s departure – handled superbly with the player committed to Bournemouth right until his sale was finalised – was made easier to swallow by the signing of Brazilian winger Rayan, who has hit the ground running.
There is some bemusement at reports that Kroupi is valued at around £60m, given his status as one of the best under-21 players in the Premier League. They sold Dango Ouattara, who had fewer goals, for £42.5m to Brentford last season and Kroupi’s potential ceiling is much higher.
The player is also understood to be happy and settled at a club who seem to be going places.
While Iraola and Simon Francis, the club’s outgoing technical director, are leaving there’s a belief that the structures are now in place to potentially become genuine contenders for Europe and trophies.
There was genuine sadness that Iraola – who is on Chelsea’s radar and would be among the candidates considered if Arne Slot goes – decided to leave but the manner of his departure has allowed Bournemouth to manage the transition to the highly-rated Rose with the minimum of fuss.
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Although he doesn’t start until the summer, different departments have begun the process of understanding how the German works and what tweaks will be needed. Recruitment plans are also underway and there is none of the managerial uncertainty overshadowing Chelsea and Manchester United this summer.
Indeed The i Paper can reveal Bournemouth employ a scout whose entire job is to monitor the managerial market for coaches who best fit Bournemouth’s playing style and would work best with the squad profile. It is one of the reasons – along with Iraola’s honesty about his intentions – why they were able to move quickly to secure Rose.
The latest departure at the Vitality Stadium is long-serving technical director Francis, who is understood to be close to joining Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League after his exit was confirmed on Monday.