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Manchester United are preparing to battle Europe\u2019s elite to secure AFC Bournemouth starlet Eli Junior Kroupi\u2019s signature this summer, according to a new report.<\/p>\n
Kroupi is enjoying a meteoric rise on the south coast in his first campaign for the Cherries. Signed in February 2025 for \u00a310 million before being immediately loaned back to French side Lorient, the 19-year-old forward only arrived at the Vitality Stadium last summer and made his debut in England in the 4-2 defeat to Liverpool in August.<\/p>\n
But he has already etched his name into the record books, becoming the highest-scoring teenager in Premier League history in a debut season with 12 goals after converting from the penalty spot in the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace last weekend. United are well aware of the France under-21 international\u2019s lethal streak, having seen him score crucial goals in both the home and away draws \u2014 4-4 at Old Trafford in December, 2-2 at the Vitality in March \u2014 this year.<\/p>\n
The Red Devils are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements this summer in the event that Joshua Zirkzee leaves. A return to Italy is understood to be the most likely destination for the Dutch forward.<\/p>\n
Kroupi\u2019s versatility \u2014 he is capable of playing as a No.10, No.9 or on the left \u2014 makes him an ideal complement to the existing options at Old Trafford, while his age, wages, Premier League pedigree and sky-high potential tick all the boxes INEOS look for.<\/p>\n
Naturally, a red-hot young forward with the ability to play across the frontline has attracted attention right across the continent, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City joining United in the hunt, while Spanish heavyweights FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are also admirers.<\/p>\n
Bournemouth\u2019s recruitment model accepts that their brightest talents will soon be hoovered up by bigger clubs as long as a big-money offer arrives. An update relayed by The Peoples Person<\/em> revealed the asking price for Kroupi was in the region of \u00a360m.<\/p>\n Sports Boom<\/em> claims negotiations could start at the \u00a352m point, however, while reporting the Cherries\u2019 executive branch see the youngster as the \u201cgreatest \u2018value creation\u2019 success in the club\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn official statements, Bournemouth emphasises that Kroupi is \u2018not for sale\u2019 and sits at the heart of the club\u2019s long-term Premier League projects\u2026According to leaked internal information, Kroupi\u2019s departure will only be approved if an offer arrives that is simply \u2018impossible to refuse.’\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBournemouth is expected to open the door for the young striker in the \u20ac60 million to \u20ac70 million bracket. The player\u2019s long-term contract, running until 2029, significantly strengthens the club\u2019s hand at the negotiating table.\u201d<\/p>\n United are searching for a \u201cyoung icon to shoulder the scoring burden\u201d, with scouts having been \u201ctracking Kroupi closely for weeks\u201d. Preparations over an opening bid worth \u00a343m plus bonuses are said to be underway to \u201cknock on Bournemouth\u2019s door with\u201d.<\/p>\n Sports Boom<\/em> also reveals that Paris Saint-Germain have stormed into the race in the hope of securing another one of France\u2019s outstanding youngsters. The European champions are understood to be the suitor most likely to pay the \u201castronomical figures\u201d required to win the red-hot race.<\/p>\n If United can fend off their rivals to sign one of Europe\u2019s most exciting prospects by selling Zirkzee to fund the move, it would be an absolute masterstroke by INEOS in squad building. The pathway to first-team football is also much more open at Old Trafford than it would be at the Parc de Princes, for example.<\/p>\n Securing a return to the Champions League, courtesy of yesterday\u2019s 3-2 win over Liverpool, will also be pivotal in the sales pitch to convince Kroupi his future lies in the red half of Manchester.<\/p>\n Featured image Stu Forster via Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n The Peoples Person has been one of the world\u2019s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 57 Manchester United are preparing to battle Europe\u2019s elite to secure AFC Bournemouth starlet Eli…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3967","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\/3967","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=3967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Final Thoughts<\/h5>\n