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Manchester United have reportedly joined Arsenal in the race to sign Eli Junior Kroupi, although Bournemouth have no interest in sanctioning a sale during the upcoming January transfer window.
Article continues under the videoKroupi scored 13 goals in 35 games during his debut season at Bournemouth last year and he was heavily linked with a host of top European clubs following an excellent first campaign with the Cherries.
However, the Frenchman’s chances of securing a transfer were curtailed by a foot injury he suffered in July and he remained at the Vitality Stadium when the summer window closed on 1 September.
Kroupi, 20, made his first appearance of the season as a late substitute against Man Utd last weekend, and the Red Devils have now joined a host of clubs eager to sign him next year.
That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, who claim that Kroupi’s return to full fitness has “reignited” transfer interest ahead of January.
Barcelona, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur were all interested in signing the 20-year-old over the summer, although Arsenal have previously been labelled as the frontrunners in the race for his signature amid their well-documented pursuit of attacking reinforcements.
However, Man Utd have now joined the race to sign him too, with the Red Devils keen to bolster their forward options amid Benjamin Sesko’s consistent injury problems.
Sesko has been ruled out until 2027 with a shin problem, meaning Joshua Zirkzee, who was expected to leave over the summer, is now the only fit senior striker available to Michael Carrick at present.
Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have both been used through the middle so far this season, but Man Utd want a more natural option in the role and they have now reportedly earmarked Kroupi as a top target for next year.
However, FootballTransfers understands that Bournemouth have no interest in selling Kroupi during the January window, with an offer of at least €120 million (£100m) needed to even tempt the Cherries into formal negotiations.
Marco Rose’s side are also reluctant to offload Rayan or Alex Scott amid strong transfer interest in all three players.
In addition to Kroupi, Man Utd are also believed to be among the clubs keeping a keen eye on Nicolo Tresoldi’s impressive goalscoring form for Club Brugge, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City interested in the 22-year-old too.