Gary Lineker predicts major transfer tussle for £100m Chelsea target, Andoni Iraola loves him

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Whether Chelsea qualify for Europe remains to be seen. They need to beat Man City in this weekend’s FA Cup final to win a Europa League place, with any European qualification in the league looking unlikely.

If Chelsea fail to get into Europe, that obviously affects the calibre of player the Blues will be able to bring in. However, Chelsea are one of the clubs linked with Bournemouth star Eli Junior Kroupi this summer.

Gary Lineker predicts transfer battle for Eli Junior Kroupi

Signed by Bournemouth in January 2025 for around £11m from French side Lorient, Kroupi stayed at Lorient until the end of the season. He moved to Bournemouth ahead of 2025-26 and has since starred.

He has since scored 12 goals in 31 Premier League appearances, having only started 19 of those. Indeed, he’s only played around 1500 minutes, and yet, he is up there with the highest goalscorers in the league.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football, Gary Lineker reckons there will be a transfer battle for the France U21 international this summer. He predicts a big offer to come in for a player Alan Shearer also appreciates.

Micah Richards began: “Really like Kroupi, don’t you Al,” before Shearer replied: “Yeah, I do. I think he’s got huge potential.” Lineker continued: “Somebody might have a pop at him. Take a little punt.

“There aren’t that many around that are that promising. If you can get one early, it wouldn’t surprise me if there are big offers for him,” before Shearer added: “He’s got potential to go right to the top.”

Bournemouth’s valuation of Kroupi and Andoni Iraola’s praise

Kroupi’s form in the Premier League has not gone unnoticed, with Bournemouth now in the driving seat for the sixth Champions League spot if Aston Villa can outdo Freiburg in the Europe League final.

The Sun claim Arsenal and Man United are also interested, with Bournemouth potentially set to request a whopping £100m for his services. A huge fee, but for a 19-year-old proven in the Premier League, fair.

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Chelsea managerial target Andoni Iraola is obviously a big fan. He said last month, as per Bournemouth’s website: “We noticed straightaway that he has special things. His finishing is top for me.

“For sure, I think he will play even more minutes next season and will continue evolving. He has a high ceiling but I think this is the best place for him to continue his evolution,” Iraola summarised on Kroupi.

With Bournemouth likely to be in Europe in one form or another come next season, Chelsea will surely need the same to attract a player like Kroupi to Stamford Bridge. But without Europe, it will be difficult.