Tusport - News - Arsenal push to sign Bournemouth teen star Junior Kroupi

Arsenal are preparing a marquee move for AFC Bournemouth’s breakout forward Junior Kroupi after the French teenager capped a stunning debut Premier League campaign. Club sources indicate talks are well advanced as Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andre Berta assess an attack that has just powered the Gunners to their first league crown in 22 years. Kroupi, 19, delivered one of the season’s defining moments on Tuesday, scoring his 13th goal in a 1-1 draw with Manchester City. The strike denied City the title and also saw Kroupi eclipse the long‑standing record shared by Robbie Fowler and Robbie Keane for the most goals by a teenager in a debut Premier League season. It was a performance that underlined why top clubs across Europe have zeroed in on his all‑action style and calm finishing. According to The Guardian, Arsenal have placed Kroupi among their primary summer targets and are well advanced with plans to strengthen, with funds in place to complete a marquee deal comparable in scale to the £105m signing of Declan Rice in 2023. While Bournemouth are understood to value Kroupi at more than £80m, interest from Real Madrid and Chelsea—both of whom have scouted him extensively—could yet ignite a bidding war that tests Arsenal’s resolve and wage structure. Arsenal’s spending overall is not expected to match last summer’s £250m outlay, but co-chairs Stan and Josh Kroenke have signalled there will be no standing still after the title. A new forward remains Arteta’s top priority. Kroupi is viewed primarily as an option from the left who can rotate into the No. 9 role, competing with Kai Havertz and any incoming centre‑forward such as long‑linked target Viktor Gyökeres. There are also suggestions that Gabriel Martinelli could be allowed to depart if a suitable bid arrives. Separate reports claim Atletico Madrid would consider player‑plus‑cash proposals for a nine‑figure striker pursuit, with Arsenal open to using makeweights—TEAMtalk even moots Martinelli’s inclusion in a potential move for Alvarez, a race in which PSG were once thought favourites. Even so, Kroupi remains front and centre of Arsenal’s forward planning due to his Premier League readiness, pressing intensity, and ceiling for development. With pre‑season on the horizon, Arsenal hope to accelerate talks and provide Arteta with clarity before the summer tour. Landing Kroupi would add pace, direct craft and end product to an attack already rich in combinations, while reinforcing the champions’ intent to defend the England Premier League title and deepen their UEFA ambitions. After a season that transformed narratives without a sugar daddy, Arsenal now aim to add one more decisive profile in the final third—and Kroupi fits the brief.