Arsenal and PSG clash over Bournemouth teenager Kroupi and three other summer targets

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are locked in a transfer battle for Bournemouth teenager Eli Junior Kroupi, with the 19-year-old French forward emerging as one of the most coveted young players in Europe after a record-breaking debut Premier League season.

Kroupi scored 13 goals in his first top-flight campaign — the most by a teenager in a debut Premier League season — having joined Bournemouth after beginning his career at Lorient. Arsenal are understood to want three or four signings this summer, with a similar number expected to depart, as Mikel Arteta looks to build on the club’s first Premier League title in 22 years.

PSG, who defeated Arsenal on penalties in the Budapest final to claim the Champions League, have now firmly entered the race for Kroupi alongside their pursuit of other Arsenal targets. The French champions have also signalled a willingness to meet Atletico Madrid’s €125m (£108m) asking price for Julian Alvarez, a player both clubs are tracking. Alvarez’s first preference is reported to be Barcelona, though the Spanish champions are currently unable to meet the financial requirements of a deal.

Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers is another name on Arsenal’s radar, with Arteta’s side among several clubs monitoring the England midfielder. PSG, Manchester United, and Chelsea are also understood to be interested in Rogers, though Villa’s preference is to retain him.

The overlap in targets between Arsenal and PSG underlines the scale of competition facing the Premier League champions as they attempt to strengthen a squad that came agonisingly close to European glory last season. Whether Arteta’s side can fend off interest from one of the continent’s wealthiest clubs on multiple fronts will be a defining test of their ambition in the coming transfer window.