Barcelona turn attention to Bournemouth’s Kroupi after Julian Alvarez hopes fade

Barcelona have revived their pursuit of Bournemouth forward Romain Faivre Kroupi as an alternative long-term option in attack, after seeing their chances of signing Julian Alvarez hit a major obstacle.

According to Catalan newspaper Sport, sporting director Deco has again put the 20-year-old French striker’s name forward in internal discussions as Barcelona continue their search for a future successor to Robert Lewandowski.

Barcelona had identified Argentina international Alvarez as a priority target, but a move has become complicated by Atletico Madrid’s refusal to enter negotiations. That stance has pushed the Spanish club to re-examine other options, with Kroupi now back under serious consideration.

Standout first Premier League season

Kroupi, a France Under-21 international, enjoyed an outstanding debut campaign in the Premier League after joining Bournemouth from Lorient for €13m.

In his first season in England’s top flight, he scored 13 goals in 35 league appearances, a return that quickly attracted interest from several of Europe’s leading clubs.

Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester City are all watching the striker, whose form has established him as one of the breakout forwards in the Premier League.

His progress and age profile have made Kroupi an appealing candidate for Barcelona as they plan beyond 35-year-old Lewandowski, whose current deal runs into the latter stages of his career.

Bournemouth stand firm over key forward

Barcelona’s interest, however, faces firm resistance from Bournemouth.

Tiago Pinto, Bournemouth’s president of football operations, has made clear the club are not prepared to sell Kroupi in the current transfer window and sees him as central to their sporting project.

Pinto has insisted that Kroupi is a cornerstone of the team’s future and has publicly ruled out his departure this summer, even stating that an offer of €100m would not be enough to change Bournemouth’s position.

The English club are preparing for a historic campaign after qualifying for European competition for the first time in their history by finishing sixth in the Premier League last season under head coach Andoni Iraola.

That achievement has strengthened Bournemouth’s determination to keep hold of their key players as they look to build on a landmark year.

Agent plays down Barcelona links

Kroupi’s camp has also attempted to cool speculation.

The player’s agent, Moussa Sissoko, said only a few days ago that there had been no talks with Barcelona over a possible transfer, underlining that no formal negotiations were under way.

Despite those denials, Barcelona are expected to probe the situation further to determine whether Bournemouth’s position is completely non-negotiable.

The Catalan club want to be certain there is no room for manoeuvre before turning definitively to other options, and are preparing what is described as a final attempt to persuade all parties to open the door to discussions.

For now, though, Bournemouth’s stance remains a significant barrier, leaving Barcelona to weigh up how far they are willing to push their interest in Kroupi while their pursuit of Alvarez remains stalled.