Liverpool target Eli Junior Kroupi has no shortage of ambitions, voicing his desire to win the Ballon d’Or as Europe’s top clubs circle.
The 19-year-old has been on fire for Bournemouth this season, scoring eight goals in his debut season in the Premier League.
Liverpool have been linked with Kroupi since the summer, but his breakout at the Vitality Stadium has taken his appeal to a whole new level.
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In an interview with Telefoot, Kroupi made a statement that suggests he’s already eying a new challenge. He said: “My goal is to win the Ballon d’Or and to play for the biggest clubs.”
Liverpool, PSG and Real Madrid positioned to grant Eli Junior Kroupi’s wish
If you want to win the most prestigious individual award in football, you can’t do it on raw talent alone anymore.
The Ballon d’Or takes team success into account, so he has to go to a team who will be competing for trophies each and every season, both domestically and on the continent.
Liverpool, PSG and Real Madrid — all credited with interest — are positioned to do exactly that.
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Bournemouth would reportedly want a club record sale around the £70-£80 million mark, for a player labelled a ‘phenomenon’ and compared to fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappe.
Eli Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth in action during the pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad at the Vitality Stadium
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All three clubs are stacked with talent in the forward areas, but he would make an exciting depth addition who could then develop alongside some of Europe’s elite attackers.
Kroupi to Liverpool making more sense now
A separate question is whether Liverpool need another marquee striker signing. The answer is probably not, but…
The last time Kroupi’s name popped up, we weren’t convinced this was a target worth pursuing. Since then, he has shown a different facet to his game, operating as a left-winger and even as a number 10.
That’s a very similar profile to Hugo Ekitike, and arguably Alexander Isak as well.
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There are pros and cons to signing players with similar skillsets and positional capabilities. The negative side is that it means you can’t make massive tactical adjustments with a substitution.
The positive, however, is that you don’t lose cohesion when substitutions and crucially, injuries, come into play.
Especially if Arne Slot moves to a striker partnership next season like many have predicted, having someone like Kroupi as the third option who can also play elsewhere in the attack might make more sense than initially thought.
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