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David Tully Jul 26th 2026
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Chelsea transfer target Junior Kroupi will not be leaving Bournemouth before the transfer window closes, according to reports in Spain.
Madrid-based publication Marca claims that Barcelona were keen on signing the Frenchman, along with the Blues, Arsenal, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
However, the Cherries have made it clear to Kroupi‘s suitors that he is “non-transferable”, which effectively “closes the door” to any move happening this summer.
Kroupi has been praised by his teammates
The 20-year-old broke the Premier League record for the most goals scored by a teenager in a single season during his first twelve months with Bournemouth. Speaking about both Kroupi and Rayan near the end of last campaign, Marcus Tavernier was effusive in his praise of the pair:
“Kroupi and Rayan are world-class talents. We give young players confidence to go out there and play with freedom.”
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Chelsea have already signed a forward
Some pundits, including Alan Shearer, have suggested that manager Xabi Alonso needs to buy a striker, but Joao Pedro has already proven that he is worthy of taking the no. 9 shirt.
For Alonso, finding another No. 10 was a higher priority. The Spaniard doesn’t generally play with traditional wingers, so the addition of Morgan Rogers for £117m was massive.
There is no doubt that he will favour a front three of Rogers, Pedro and Cole Palmer for the majority of games, with the likes of Estevao getting game time off the bench.
Signing Kroupi would have given Alonso even greater depth, but it is quite apparent that the France Under 21 international isn’t leaving the Vitality Stadium, at least in the short term.
David Tully
David Tully
David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.