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Arsenal get decisive transfer update on Premier League's deadliest striker

29 May 2026 06:35 BST | 4 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal

Tom Weber

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Bournemouth are ready to fight tooth and nail to keep their most prized possessions this summer, including Arsenal target Eli Kroupi.

The Cherries are coming off their best season in club history, with departing head coach Andoni Iraola leading the South Coast club into the Europa League with a sixth-placed finish.

The Basque will depart, likely for Bayer Leverkusen, but Bournemouth are hopeful that former Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig head coach Marco Rose will continue the club's upward trajectory.

To give the German the best chances of achieving that, Bournemouth want to keep their squad together as best as can be expected from a club in their place in the food chain. The Cherries are a selling club - everyone knows it.

But the uncharted territory of European football has strengthened Bournemouth's position. The club, who were already attractive due to a proven track record of producing world-class talent, believe that Europa League qualification will stand them in good stead to avoid a summer exodus.

Bournemouth want to keep Kroupi and Rayan

According to the BBC, Bournemouth are firmly planning to have their three most marketable players available beyond the upcoming transfer window. The Cherries want to keep Eli Kroupi, Rayan and Alex Scott.

Contract discussions with the latter have already begun, with Bournemouth hopeful that the England midfielder will commit his future to the club. They accept that his performances need to be rewarded with a bumper new deal.

Eli Kroupi

With Rayan, the situation is calm. The Brazilian youngster only joined the club in January and reportedly has no intention of jumping ship after just six months. He is going nowhere, with his €100 million release clause only becoming active next year.

The biggest challenge will be keeping Kroupi. He is the club's most in-demand player, and there have been suggestions that he is keen to join a Champions League side this summer.

Arsenal and Man Utd have both been credited with a strong interest in the Premier League's most clinical finisher (as per WhoScored). The 19-year-old netted a stunning 13 goals in under 1,700 minutes of Premier League football in his first year in England.

If keeping the Frenchman proves impossible, Bournemouth will only sell for a huge fee, with some reports suggesting that he could cost north of €90m this summer. Ideally, though, they would prefer to keep him until 2027.

Bournemouth are convinced that retaining these three players will be beneficial for everyone involved. Another season on the South Coast - with European football - will only boost their values further and enable them to eventually secure even more prestigious transfers than this year.