{"id":15388,"date":"2026-07-08T14:42:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=15388"},"modified":"2026-07-08T14:42:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:42:06","slug":"chelsea-make-contact-for-bournemouth-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=15388","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea make contact for Bournemouth star"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-main\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--post-header--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"post-excerpt left\"><\/p>\n<p>Chelsea apply for Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi even as Arsenal show equal interest in him<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"post-feat-img\" class=\"left relative\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-126.webp\" class=\"attachment- size- wp-post-image\" alt=\"Chelsea\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-126.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-126-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-126-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-126.webp\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"675\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--post-feat-img--><\/p>\n<section class=\"social-sharing-top\">\n<p><span class=\"fb-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-facebook-f\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"window.open('http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Eli Junior Kroupi: Chelsea make contact for Bournemouth star -&amp;url=https:\/\/sixsports.in\/eli-junior-kroupi-chelsea-make-contact-for-bournemouth-star\/', 'twitterShare', 'width=626,height=436'); return false;\" title=\"Share This Post\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"twitter-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-x-twitter\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"whatsapp-but1\"><i class=\"fa fa-whatsapp fa-2\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"pinterest-but1\"><i class=\"fa-brands fa-pinterest-p\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Share<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"email-but\"><i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-2\"\/><\/span><span class=\"social-text\">Email<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><!--social-sharing-top--><\/p>\n<div class=\"sx-entity-card\">\n<div class=\"sx-entity-top\">\n<div class=\"sx-entity-logo\">\n                <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"CHELSEA\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chelsea_fc_logo-1.avif\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chelsea_fc_logo-1.avif\" alt=\"CHELSEA\"\/>\n            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"sx-entity-description\">\n<p>            Chelsea is one of England\u2019s premier football clubs, competing in the Premier League and European competitions such as the UEFA Champions League. Known for its strong squad, tactical versatility, and competitive history, Chelsea has won multiple league titles, domestic cups,\u2026            <a class=\"sx-entity-readmore\" href=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/team\/chelsea\/\"><br \/>\n                Read More about CHELSEA\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eli Junior Kroupi is set to enter the transfer market as per recent news. However, in an interesting move, Chelsea have decided to move for the French striker.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-blues-to-clash-with-arsenal-for-kroupi\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Blues to clash with Arsenal for Kroupi <\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The West London club will be clashing with the Gunners in a bid to secure Kroupi. As reported by CaughtOffside, the Blues have made contacts for the 20-year-old striker. Although they haven\u2019t filed an official proposal, <strong>the Blues<\/strong> are hopeful of convincing Bournemouth for a smooth transfer. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kroupi joined Bournemouth last year. He previously played for Lorient. He played for a brief loan spell under Lorient between February 2025 and July 2025 before permanently moving to Bournemouth. Before that, he played for the team\u2019s youth academy from 2013 to 2023. He was promoted to the reserve team in 2022. Subsequently, he joined the senior team in 2023. Kroupi played for Lorient\u2019s senior team between 2023 and 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Kroupi\u2019s stats for the 2025-26 season, as per FOTMOB: <\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Competitions<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Matches<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Goals<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Assists<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Premier League <\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">33<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">13<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>FA Cup<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>EFL Cup<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0<\/td>\n<td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-how-will-eli-junior-kroupi-s-potential-entry-benefit-chelsea\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How will Eli Junior Kroupi\u2019s potential entry benefit Chelsea? <\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kroupi performed well for the Cherries last season. That\u2019s why the Blues are interested in the striker. They want to build up a strong team for the upcoming season. After shuffling between three managers within five months, Chelsea have settled down on Xabi Alonso for the next season. The former Spanish player managed Real Madrid for a year, and previously was the head coach for Bayer Leverkusen between 2022 and 2025. Naturally, he would want to extend his successful legacy as a manager with Chelsea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, Kroupi has been described as a \u2018generational\u2019 talent. He can prove his mettle at Chelsea if he agrees to the deal. He played well for Bournemouth. The Cherries finished sixth overall at the <strong>Premier League<\/strong>. This is their best performance till date.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kroupi doesn\u2019t need to worry too much on the fitness front. However, he needs to slightly improve on his disciplinary issues. The French striker was handed five yellow cards during the 2025-26 Premier League. Except for that, he had a relatively clean record last year.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" alt=\"Chelsea transfer news - Eli Junior Kroupi\" class=\"wp-image-202698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47-768x432.webp 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47.webp\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47.webp\" alt=\"Chelsea transfer news - Eli Junior Kroupi\" class=\"wp-image-202698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47.webp 1200w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47-600x338.webp 600w, https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Chelsea-47-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-future-gameplan-for-eli-junior-kroupi\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Future gameplan for Eli Junior Kroupi<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eli Junior Kroupi is currently focusing on the upcoming <strong>football <\/strong>season. He missed out on the selection for the ongoing <strong>FIFA World Cup<\/strong>. Despite that, Kroupi remains committed to the <strong>French football team<\/strong>. He was offered a switch to Portugal, given his mother was of Portuguese descent. However, Kroupi politely turned down the offer. He will continue to play for Les Bleus. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chelsea is undergoing a significant transformation. Xabi Alonso wants a stronger defensive lineup by the next season. Likewise, he is also working on an equally effective forward lineup. That\u2019s where Kroupi comes into the picture. He has the potential to make it big next year, if he agrees to the potential Chelsea deal. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kroupi was <strong>signed<\/strong> by Bournemouth for a package of \u00a310 million (including bonuses) in February 2025. Naturally, the Cherries wouldn\u2019t let him out for a cheap deal. However, Chelsea are also not the one to give up easily, especially after clubs like Arsenal are aggressively pursuing the French striker. Kroupi worked wonders for Bournemouth in the previous season. He led the Cherries to unprecedented heights with his aggressive performance in the Premier League. It would be interesting to see if he can repeat the heroics at Stamford Bridge, should he agree to the deal offered by the Blues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>READ MORE: Enzo Maresca apologises to Chelsea after Man City appointment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ALSO READ: Gabriel Gudmundsson: Chelsea to make surprise move<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>READ NEXT: Tyrique George closing in on permanent Everton move<br \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"after-article-links\" style=\"margin-top:20px; font-size:14px;\">Follow the latest updates from <strong>Premier League<\/strong>, <strong>The League<\/strong> and<br \/>\n        <strong>Champions League<\/strong>or explore more<br \/>\n        <strong>Football<\/strong> stories, <strong>Football Teams<\/strong> &#038; <strong>All Football Competitions<\/strong> . Follow more updates on CHELSEA. You can also check <strong>Latest Sports News<\/strong> or visit <strong>Six Sports<\/strong> for more Football updates.<\/div>\n<div class=\"fe-author-box\">\n<div class=\"fe-author-avatar\">\n        <img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/de43a324d2603b79d1fdd779d07ba0f8eeaa27d49e980e1e893e8d059d336b99?s=200&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-100 photo\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/de43a324d2603b79d1fdd779d07ba0f8eeaa27d49e980e1e893e8d059d336b99?s=100&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/de43a324d2603b79d1fdd779d07ba0f8eeaa27d49e980e1e893e8d059d336b99?s=100&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/de43a324d2603b79d1fdd779d07ba0f8eeaa27d49e980e1e893e8d059d336b99?s=200&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-100 photo\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" decoding=\"async\"\/>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mvp-org-wrap\" itemprop=\"publisher\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\">\n<div class=\"mvp-org-logo\" itemprop=\"logo\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\" src-webp=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png.webp\" class=\"ewww_webp_lazy_load\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"145\" src=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/sixsports.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Six-Sports.png\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--mvp-org-logo--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Six Sports\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><!--mvp-org-wrap--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--posts-nav-link--><\/p>\n<div class=\"mentioned-article-block\">\n<h3 class=\"mentioned-title\">Mentioned in this Article<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--comments-button--><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--comments-->\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chelsea apply for Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi even as Arsenal show equal interest in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}