Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly no longer pursuing Eli Junior Kroupi this summer. Arsenal have set their sights on the Bournemouth forward, with the Gunners also having Morgan Rogers on their transfer radar ahead of what promises to be an ambitious window for the club.
Kroupi, 19, netted 13 goals during his debut Premier League campaign, placing him joint-ninth amongst all scorers last term and just one behind Viktor Gyokeres. His minutes-per-goal ratio of 129 is the second best among players who have found the net at least nine times, trailing only Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland, having scored on four occasions as a substitute.
Despite seeking attacking reinforcements this summer, PSG are now said to have ruled themselves out of the race for the France Under-21 international, according to Get French Football News. The Parisian giants are amongst a number of clubs reportedly keeping tabs on Maghnes Akliouche and Yan Diomande instead.
This comes just days after Foot Mercato claimed that Kroupi harbours ambitions of representing the perennial French champions. That same outlet suggested Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester City had also registered an interest in the teenager.
They further reported that the latter have already held talks over a potential deal for Kroupi, with Bournemouth believed to be holding out for a fee of at least £87million. The youngster still has four years left to run on his existing contract. The Cherries, therefore, possess considerable leverage and are under no pressure to offload him this summer.
However, following their failure to secure a potential berth in the league phase of next season’s Champions League, the incentive for Kroupi to remain has diminished. He has previously emphasised the significance of participating in UEFA competition. Kroupi outlined his future ambitions last month following his breakthrough campaign in England.
The forward told Stadium Astro that they are to “perform with my team and perform also in Europe, because it is very beautiful to be in Europe, but you have to perform to play there.”
Netting the goal against Manchester City that delivered Arsenal the Premier League also featured in their discussion. Kroupi broke the deadlock in their 1-1 stalemate that rendered it mathematically impossible for Pep Guardiola‘s side to overhaul the Gunners.
“Yes, I have received many messages, but I tell myself that I didn’t do this for Arsenal. I do this for Bournemouth,” Kroupi added. “I can say I scored against Arsenal, I scored against City. It doesn’t change anything. I just wanted to help my team.”