Eli Junior Kroupi - Getty
Arsenal remain interested in Bournemouth forward Eli Junior Kroupi ahead of the January transfer window, according to The Independent.
The newspaper reports that the club are considering a fresh move for the 20-year-old when the window opens.
The reports come as Arsenal’s attack is under discussion again after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup exit at Fleetwood Town. The Premier League champions drew 1-1 with the fourth-tier side and lost 5-3 on penalties.
Arsenal were without Declan Rice, Gabriel and David Raya. They took control after the break and equalised through Viktor Gyokeres, who scored his first goal of the season, but they could not find a winner.
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Mikel Arteta called it “a really sad day for us”.
Kroupi scored 13 Premier League goals last season, a record for a teenager in a debut campaign. He is only now returning from injury.
A foot injury kept him out for the first three months of the season.
The French forward made his comeback as a substitute in Bournemouth’s 3-0 win at Manchester United on October 25. He was then introduced in the 80th minute of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Aston Villa.
Bournemouth head coach Marco Rose says he has to be patience.
Rose told Sky Sports that he is “really happy to have him back” and to have his quality.
He added that Kroupi must stay patient to avoid another injury, and that the aim is to get him fit through more match time between good training sessions.
“I’m really happy to have him back, to have his quality, but he knows that he has to be patient in this situation to not get in a difficult situation with another injury.
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“We need to get him fit, in a good spot with more and more match time between good training sessions.”
Kroupi scored in both league meetings with Leeds last season. That included a 93rd-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Elland Road in September.
Bournemouth are in good form. They have won five consecutive games in all competitions.
Kroupi’s future remains a talking point. Reports say Bournemouth will not entertain January offers, and Arsenal may have to wait until the summer. Fabrizio Romano has said a summer move is more likely than a January one.
Asked whether he would have left Bournemouth this summer had he not been injured, Kroupi said: “I can’t say. I don’t know what would have happened.”
Fleetwood Arsenal
Fleetwood Arsenal
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta