The Catalan club is still searching for a successor to Lewandowski.
Barcelona’s pursuit of Julian Alvarez has stalled, and with the Atletico Madrid striker still out of reach, the club have turned their attention to a string of alternatives to Robert Lewandowski.
One name has resurfaced in recent days: Eli Junior Kroupi. The 20-year-old France striker at Bournemouth could bolster the Catalan frontline from the start of the new season.
Catalan newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” reports that Barcelona rate Kroupi highly, having tracked him throughout last season as they did with several other strikers. Even so, they don’t consider a deal viable.
Bournemouth want around 100 million euros. The Catalan club think that’s unreasonable.
That figure, the paper notes, matches what Barcelona offered Atletico for Alvarez. But Kroupi has yet to reach the Argentine’s level, and he shows nothing like the potential of Ronaldo Nazario.
Back in 1996, Barcelona broke their transfer record by investing 2.5 billion pesetas (15 million euros at the time) to sign the phenomenon Ronaldo, and his exceptional season justified the gamble.
Kroupi is a different case. He dazzled everyone in the Premier League last season, scoring 13 goals for Bournemouth, yet the Frenchman has still not featured for his country’s senior national team.
The newspaper concluded: “Barcelona’s motto is clear: if you pay 100 million, it is for a proven star”.