English Premier League
Barcelona striker search hit as Bournemouth’s Kroupi ruled out for up to four months
Barcelona’s bid to recruit a new centre-forward has suffered a major setback after Bournemouth striker IlIe Junior Kroupi was ruled out for three to four months with a foot injury.
The Catalan club have been looking for a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who left Barcelona at the end of last season, and had explored a move for Atletico Madrid’s Argentina forward Julian Alvarez.
With Atletico Madrid unwilling to part with Alvarez, Barcelona turned their attention to Kroupi, the 20-year-old French forward who impressed in his first season in the Premier League with Bournemouth.
However, any prospect of a summer move has now been complicated on two fronts – Bournemouth’s refusal to sell and a long-term injury that will sideline Kroupi for a significant portion of the coming campaign.
According to The Athletic, Kroupi suffered a foot injury during Bournemouth’s pre-season training camp in Austria. He returned to England to undergo medical tests, which revealed the need for surgery.
The operation was carried out on Wednesday, and early assessments indicate the forward will be out of action for between three and four months.
That timeline means Kroupi is not expected to return to full training until October or November, causing him to miss a large stretch of the season and making a transfer this summer highly unlikely.
Barcelona’s attacking plans disrupted
Barcelona’s search for a new striker intensified after Lewandowski’s departure, with the Poland international having led the line at the club since his arrival from Bayern Munich.
Julian Alvarez emerged as one of the leading candidates to fill the void, but Atletico Madrid rejected the idea of selling the Argentina international this summer.
As a result, Barcelona identified Kroupi as an alternative option, attracted by his age, profile and impact in his debut Premier League season.
Bournemouth, though, had already made clear they were not prepared to let the Frenchman leave, and the subsequent injury has effectively closed the door on any short-term deal.
Breakthrough season at Bournemouth
Kroupi joined Bournemouth from Lorient last summer and quickly established himself as a key figure in attack.
He made 35 appearances in all competitions in his first season with the club, scoring 13 goals and playing a central role in Bournemouth’s charge up the Premier League table.
Those contributions helped Bournemouth finish sixth in the Premier League, securing qualification for the Europa League.
The south-coast club achieved that under Spanish head coach Andoni Iraola, who has since left to take over at Liverpool, with German manager Marco Rose appointed as his successor at Bournemouth.
Kroupi’s absence for the opening months of the new campaign represents a blow to Bournemouth’s European ambitions, while leaving Barcelona still searching for a solution to their post-Lewandowski plans in attack.
