Barcelona's search for a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski has taken an unexpected turn towards the English south coast, with ONE reporting that the club has revived its interest in Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi after its pursuit of Julian Alvarez stalled.
According to the report, sporting director Deco has put Kroupi's name back on the table having first tracked the 20-year-old Frenchman during his breakout season at Lorient. Barcelona had preferred Alvarez, but Atletico Madrid's leadership has repeatedly and publicly refused to sell the Argentine this summer, with club president Enrique Cerezo insisting he would not accept even a €200 million offer.
That impasse, ONE reports, has pushed Barcelona to look again at Kroupi as a cheaper and more attainable alternative up front, even if he offers a very different profile to the ageing Lewandowski, whom Barcelona expect to move on from before long.
Kroupi joined Bournemouth for around €13 million after finishing as Ligue 2's top scorer with Lorient, a move he made despite the club's relegation from Ligue 1 — a decision widely read at the time as a mark of his character. He has since become one of the Premier League's most closely watched young forwards, scoring 13 goals in 35 top-flight appearances in his debut English season.
That form has made him one of the most sought-after teenagers — now 20 — in Europe. Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have all been linked with the France Under-21 international over the past year, according to the wider reporting around the player.
Bournemouth, however, are giving no indication they intend to let him leave. ONE quotes the club's stance as refusing to sell "even for €100 million," a line consistent with comments attributed to Bournemouth's football hierarchy, led by president of football operations Tiago Pinto, in Spanish outlet Marca, which has reported Kroupi has been formally marked as untouchable at Dean Court this summer.
Kroupi is under contract with the Cherries until 2030, and the club is under no financial pressure to sell a player it signed for a fraction of his current valuation just eighteen months ago.
For Barcelona, already stretched by the financial gymnastics required to register new signings under La Liga's spending rules, meeting or approaching a fee of that size for a forward with only one full Premier League season behind him would represent a significant gamble — one the club has not yet shown it is ready to make.
No bid has been reported, and Bournemouth's public position suggests any approach would be rejected outright. The story, as ONE frames it, is for now a reflection of Barcelona's shifting priorities as the Alvarez chase drags on, rather than confirmation of an imminent move for Kroupi.
