Football Presse

Kroupi's agent cools Barcelona and Tottenham talk

·By Paul Lindisfarne
Share
Kroupi's agent cools Barcelona and Tottenham talk

Bournemouth/X.com

Eli Junior Kroupi's representatives have played down suggestions that Barcelona or Tottenham are close to agreeing a deal for the Bournemouth forward, even as both clubs continue to be linked with the 20-year-old.

Kroupi scored 13 goals in 35 appearances last season under Andoni Iraola, who has since left for Liverpool, with Bournemouth working to rebuild while still hoping to cash in on the talent developed during his time at the club.

Barcelona have recently shown interest as they explore attacking alternatives given the difficulty of their pursuit of Julian Alvarez, who remains their preferred target. Tottenham had also been credited with a willingness to pay as much as £100m for Kroupi.

Agent Moussa Sissoko, however, cooled the speculation in comments carried by Sport newspaper.

"We are still discussing his future. We'll see what happens over the next few days; for the time being, no final decision has been made," he said.

That leaves the player in limbo for now, with the prospect of a move to Barcelona in particular appearing to be fading.

Bournemouth are not thought to be under any pressure to sell and are keen to give new manager Marco Rose as strong a squad as possible following Iraola's departure, though a suitably large offer could yet test their resolve given the sums being discussed for a player who only established himself in the Premier League last season.

Reports in England have suggested Bournemouth would want in the region of £80m to even consider an offer, a figure that has already put off other interested parties including Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, with the French club previously exploring Kroupi as a possible long-term successor to Ousmane Dembele.

Tottenham are said to have held positive talks with the player's camp and would have the resources to meet Bournemouth's valuation, but for now the situation remains fluid, with Sissoko - who also represents Dembele, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola - giving no indication that a decision is imminent in either direction.