Arsenal legend Alan Smith says Junior Kroupi will believe he is “ready for a big move” amid interest from the Gunners and other top clubs.
Speaking exclusively to Gooner News (courtesy of Best Betting Sites UK), Smith claimed that the teenager would benefit from staying at current club Bournemouth, but there is a chance he could follow in the footsteps of another former Cherries player, Dean Huijsen:
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“If you asked him, he’d probably say yes, he is ready for a big move. But he’s just had the one season. He’s only 19. In terms of his development, it would probably be better for him to stay at Bournemouth. But sometimes these chances don’t come up too often, and this might be his opportunity.”
“Obviously, Marco Rose at Bournemouth doesn’t want to lose him because that would be a blow. But Bournemouth have been brilliant at buying and selling at a huge profit. You look at Dean Huijsen and the likes when he went to Real Madrid. So sometimes it’s about money. But from a footballing aspect, yeah, Marco Rose wouldn’t want to lose him.”
Kroupi is in huge demand
After breaking the Premier League record for the most goals scored by a teenager last season, the Frenchman will have his pick of teams.
The Gunners are known to be keeping close tabs on him, but Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and others may well enter the mix if Bournemouth sanction his sale.
Arsenal would have to pay a sizeable sum for the striker
Reports suggest that Bournemouth would be very reluctant to offload Kroupi, having only signed him at the start of last year for £10m from Lorient.
It is believed that the South Coast club may demand up to TEN times what they paid for him. You can’t see Mikel Arteta’s side or any other team being willing to match that price.
A lot may depend on whether Kroupi himself pushes to leave the Vitality Stadium. If he believes he is ready for a big club, as Smith suggests, it could open the door to a transfer this summer.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here