Arsenal's £100m Kroupi pursuit blocked as Bournemouth reject January move

Bournemouth have shut down any prospect of Eli Junior Kroupi joining Arsenal in January, with the club unwilling to entertain mid-season offers for the 20-year-old striker currently valued at around £100million, according to BBC Sport.

Arsenal had identified Kroupi as a priority signing last summer after failing to land Vinicius Junior or Julian Alvarez, but Bournemouth refused to sell. The pursuit was then ended entirely when Kroupi suffered a fractured metatarsal during pre-season, requiring surgery in July. He has yet to play a single minute for the Cherries this season and is not expected to return until November.

Kroupi’s importance to both clubs was underlined last term when his goal against Manchester City handed Arsenal the Premier League title. That moment only heightened demand for the French forward, and many Arsenal supporters had hoped the club would revive their interest in the winter window. Those hopes have now been firmly extinguished.

Arsenal’s injury concerns deepened further during the international break when summer signing Christos Tzolis was forced off for Greece with a hamstring problem. The 24-year-old winger pulled up feeling tightness in his right hamstring shortly after having a goal ruled out for offside, and faces 15 to 20 days on the sidelines.

Tzolis initially attempted to play on despite the discomfort, leaving the pitch with his head in his hands before trying to return. Greece manager Ivan Jovanovic ultimately made the decision for him, substituting the winger to protect him from further damage — a call Jovanovic addressed directly in his post-match press conference.

The setback adds to a difficult international break for Mikel Arteta, who has also seen Martin Odegaard manage an ankle knock and Kai Havertz sent home from Germany’s camp as he races to be fit for Arsenal’s Premier League fixture against Leeds United on October 10. Arsenal head into that game looking to respond to a 3-0 defeat at Brighton — their first loss of the 2026/27 season — which ended a seven-game winning run.