Eli Junior Kroupi’s reputation has spiked in the space of a few days. The 20-year-old Bournemouth forward was named in the France senior squad this week by Zinedine Zidane, stepping in for the injured Marcus Thuram, and he is now at the centre of a January transfer tug-of-war.
Tottenham are preparing a player-exchange proposal rather than a straight cash bid, according to TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey. The report names winger Wilson Odobert, academy forward Mikey Moore and young prospect Luca Williams-Barnett as the players Spurs are considering offering as makeweights. Odobert is recovering from an ACL injury but is expected to be fit around January.
Arsenal are also in the mix. TEAMtalk notes both north London clubs are pushing in the same direction, raising the prospect of a January battle for the same forward.
Bournemouth not for selling
Bournemouth do not want to sell. Sky Sports reporters Mark McAdam and Michael Bridge told TEAMtalk that it would take an astronomical figure for the club to even consider a sale, and that any mid-season deal is “highly unlikely.” Kroupi is under contract at the Vitality Stadium until 2030, with no release clause.
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Head coach Marco Rose wants his strongest squad intact in his first season on the south coast, with European qualification a realistic target.
The £85m question
Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider has told TEAMtalk that Spurs are willing to push as high as £85m, a huge fee for a 20-year-old. O’Rourke added that even that number would likely be turned down.
A swap package is the workaround Spurs are weighing. Whether Bournemouth would entertain Odobert as part of any deal is a separate question; the Cherries are not short of attacking options after signing Alvaro Rodríguez from Elche.
Why Kroupi, why now
The Zidane call-up changed the market. Kroupi was drafted into the senior France squad after Thuram pulled out with a hamstring injury, joining up for UEFA Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey. Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni also withdrew but will not be replaced, according to Zidane.
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Kroupi was already on recruitment lists after scoring 13 league goals as a teenager during his debut Premier League season, which Yahoo Sports described as a record for a first-year teenager in the division. The France call-up has only pushed his market value higher.
Tottenham were tracking him in the summer, when a foot injury in pre-season disrupted their pursuit. He has since returned to fitness and is in Bournemouth’s matchday plans under Rose.
France play Italy on Thursday, 12 November, with Turkey three days later. The January transfer window opens on 1 January 2027.
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