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Liverpool’s transfer hopes have been dented after hearing Bournemouth director Tiago Pinto’s emphatic stance on Eli Junior Kroupi.
The Reds need attacking reinforcements this summer, with Mohamed Salah leaving and the forward line set for another reshuffle. Kroupi has been watched closely by Liverpool after a superb first season at the Vitality Stadium.
The 19-year-old looks like one of the brightest prospects in the Premier League, and someone any top club would love to bring in. A fee of around £87m has been mooted, but if Pinto’s latest comments are anything to go by, even that will not be enough.
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RTK predicted XI (2) Bournemouth chief says they won’t entertain interest in Eli Junior Kroupi
Kroupi has had an outstanding season for Bournemouth.
The teenager has scored 12 goals in 31 league appearances, while also becoming the first player since Robbie Fowler to hit that figure in his debut Premier League season as a teenager.
The Frenchman possesses a clinical edge that cannot really be coached.
Previous reports had suggested Bournemouth could be open to a Kroupi sale for the right price, but that stance has now been strongly contradicted by Pinto.
He told 365 scores (via Mundo Deportivo): “Junior Kroupi will not be leaving Bournemouth. His contract still has more than four years remaining, there is no release clause, and he is not going anywhere.
Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images
“We will not sell Kroupi even if Barcelona or Liverpool offer €100 million. That is completely out of the question.”
Statements like these are never completely final in football, but this is a very strong message from one of Bournemouth’s main decision-makers. They clearly do not want to create even the slightest opening for Liverpool, Barcelona or anyone else.
A lot may depend on how Bournemouth finish the season. Champions League qualification remains a real possibility for the Cherries, and if they get there, keeping Kroupi becomes far easier to justify.
If they fall short, perhaps the stance softens later in the window.
For now, though, the message is clear. Kroupi is staying put, and Liverpool may have to look elsewhere unless Bournemouth eventually discover a price at which they are willing to talk.
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