Eli Junior Kroupi has commented on his future as Arsenal contemplate their January transfer moves

Arsenal return to action on Sunday with a tough test away at Liverpool in the Premier League. The reigning champions are currently second in the table, behind rivals Manchester City on goal difference.

The Gunners will need to respond quickly to the major setback they suffered in midweek, having endured a shock Carabao Cup defeat away at Fleetwood Town.

A miserable Tuesday night saw Mikel Arteta’s men lose out on penalties at the end of a 1-1 draw, after 16-year-old Max Dowman received the first sending off of his senior career. While it was certainly disappointing, a potential silver lining is that they can now pour all of their focus into their Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup campaigns.

The January transfer window will provide the north Londoners with the perfect opportunity to bolster their options. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at the latest developments involving two of Arsenal’s reported transfer targets.

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Eli Junior Kroupi update

Bournemouth have reportedly decided that they will not sell Eli Junior Kroupi in January. The 20-year-old forward has been linked with Arsenal since last season, with football.london reporting in May that the north Londoners were interested in the Frenchman.

However, Arsenal were told by the Cherries that their star player was not for sale, with the player believed to be valued at over £100million. As a result of Bournemouth's stance and Kroupi’s metatarsal injury during pre-season, the Gunners opted to explore other options.

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Kroupi’s return to action recently and Arteta’s need for a marquee forward signing have since led to speculation that Arsenal could return with an offer in January. But TEAMtalk report that Bournemouth have no intention of selling their highly-rated forward midway through the season, striking a blow to Arsenal’s hopes.

Nevertheless, Kroupi has now seemingly issued a plea to Europe’s biggest clubs, including the likes of PSG and Barcelona, to come and sign him. "I'm going to give my all to play for the biggest clubs in the world, in the best leagues in the world," Kroupi said in an interview with DAZN France.

"I can't say. I don't know what would have happened," he added when asked if he would have stayed at Bournemouth had he not been injured.

£54m transfer battle

Arsenal are reportedly expressing an interest in signing Alberto Costa from Porto. The 23-year-old right-back left Vitoria Guimaraes for Juventus in January 2025 but quickly returned to his homeland Portugal that July.

Since then, he has become a key player for Porto, featuring in all but one of the side’s games so far this season. According to Fussball News, his impressive displays have attracted attention from several Premier League giants, including Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.

All three are said to be ‘closely monitoring’ Costa’s development, though United’s interest is considered stronger at this point in time. The Red Devils reportedly consider him a potential upgrade on Diogo Dalot, given his pace and attacking ability.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are far more solid at the back already, but Arteta has shown in the past that he is not shy when it comes to adding more defenders. Costa’s contract with Porto runs until June 2030 and includes a £54m release clause which will have to be activated in order to convince them to part ways.