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David Tully Jul 28th 2026
Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi is being pursued by Arsenal, along with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham, according to reports in the Catalan media.
Sport claim that the Gunners are “following” the Frenchman, who broke the Premier League record for the most goals scored by a teenager in a single season.
Kroupi is not going to be available on the cheap, with Bournemouth said to be holding out for around €100m (£85.5m).
At the moment, Mikel Arteta’s side seem to be prioritising a move for Vinicius Jr, but there is still a possibility that the Brazilian international will sign a new contract with Real Madrid. Contingency plans will, therefore, have to be put in place.
Who else have Arsenal been linked with?
Reinforcing the left flank remains a priority for Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta despite the arrival of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge.
In addition to Vinicius, the London club have also explored moves for Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, while Antonio Nusa has been mentioned as a potential target as well.
Why would Arsenal pursue Kroupi instead of Barcola?
It’s clear that the Premier League champions have prioritised Vinicius Jr above all other targets at the moment, and if they continue to pursue him over the coming weeks, they may miss out on a potential alternative.
Barcola has been heavily linked with a switch to the Emirates for several months, but reliable journalists, including Fabrizio Romano, believe Liverpool are the favourites for his signature.
If Vinicius stays at the Bernabeu, and Barcola makes the switch to Anfield, the Gunners would need to line up a move for another forward, and Kroupi is seemingly one of the names on their shortlist.
Sport suggest that Barcelona could pose the biggest threat to Arteta’s team in the battle for the 20-year-old, but the La Liga champions will only make an approach if it becomes clear they cannot land Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez.
It means it is very much an open race for Kroupi at this stage, with Bournemouth unlikely to sell him for below his reported valuation.
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.