Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi is facing up to four months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a fractured metatarsal, a development that dashes transfer plans for Arsenal and Tottenham.
Injury Details
The 20-year-old Frenchman suffered the injury while training at Bournemouth’s pre-season camp in Austria before returning to England. He underwent surgery earlier this week and is now expected to be out for up to four months.
Kroupi enjoyed a superb debut Premier League campaign last season, netting 13 goals in 33 appearances, which attracted interest from top European clubs including Arsenal, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. However, Bournemouth had insisted he was not for sale.
Transfer Impact
Any prospect of a summer move has been ended by the injury. Bournemouth sources maintain that Kroupi was not considered for sale at any point this summer, regardless of the injury.
Arsenal had weighed up a move for Kroupi as they look to bolster Mikel Arteta’s attacking options. They also considered Morgan Rogers before he was signed by Chelsea, and have since added Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis. Tottenham were keen to strengthen across the park but are now expected to look at other targets.
Kroupi’s injury is a blow for Bournemouth as they head into the 2026/27 campaign under new management without last season’s top scorer. They have already brought in striker cover in the form of Elche’s Alvaro Rodriguez. The Cherries will play in the Europa League this coming season after qualifying on the final day of the 2025/26 campaign.
