Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi has been ruled out for 3-4 months after suffering a foot injury in training, all but ending Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of a deal this summer, according to David Ornstein.
But a move away now looks impossible after the striker was forced to jet back from the club’s tour of Austria to undergo surgery.
AFC Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi celebratesvia Reuters
Kroupi, who has been described as ‘world-class’, has been one of the most sought-after forwards in the transfer market this summer, with a number of top clubs keeping a close eye on his situation.
Bournemouth, however, have been adamant that he will not be sold under any circumstances, refusing to put a valuation on the player as they look to keep him at the Vitality Stadium.
Now, any hopes that Arsenal or Spurs had of getting a deal done later in the window have been scuppered, after the French forward suffered a fracture of his fifth metatarsal and was forced to undergo surgery.
The player flew home from the club’s pre-season tour in Austria and underwent successful foot surgery on Wednesday, and is now expected to be sidelined until late October or November.
The injury is a huge blow for Bournemouth too, who had been planning their campaign around the star forward for new manager Marco Rose. The club have already bolstered their forward options with the £21m signing of Alvaro Rodriguez from Elche, while they are adamant that Brazil star Rayan will also stay put despite strong interest.
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All 10 found — excellent!
North London Duo Must Return to Drawing Board
via Reuters
It’s no surprise that Kroupi was attracting major attention following his performances in the Premier League, but both Arsenal and Tottenham, plus any other interested clubs, will now have to go back to the drawing board.
Bournemouth had always been adamant that he wouldn’t be sold, but there was strong links consistently that bids would be made anyway, which may have seen their stance waiver or the player’s desires come into play.
But it now becomes a total non-story due to the injury, and those clubs must start to look at alternative options in the market, or decide whether they will go with what they already have and try for Kroupi in the future.
Tottenham Hotspur have made Savinho their top transfer target to bolster their attack, but he’s not the only one they want to sign, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Spurs have had an incredible summer transfer window already, bringing in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali following two consecutive 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League, and manager Roberto De Zerbi has already declared that he wants new forwards before the season begins.
“In a separate story [to Savinho], because I expect Tottenham to sign two players, I would still keep an eye on Tottenham and Cody Gakpo, because he’s another player they like,” he said.
“So let’s see what is going to happen there, if Liverpool are going to open doors or not, but for sure, there will be many movements for wingers at Tottenham.”
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All 10 found — excellent!
Tottenham Going Big This Summer
REUTERS/Hollie Adams
Tottenham have already had a very busy window, but the fact that everyone knows there is more to come shows that the owners and manager are being very ambitious about their plans for the upcoming campaign.
In attack they are currently light. Richarlison’s future is up in the air, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are recovering from serious knee injuries, and Dejan Kulusevski hasn’t played since the 2024/25 season due to a mysterious knee problem of his own. Add to that the fact Randal Kolo Muani has left, and it’s clear they need more than just one signing.
Gakpo would arrive as someone with experience at the very highest level, including in the Premier League, and could prove to be a shrewd bit of busines if they can get it over the line.
Leeds United’s move to sign Germany international Julian Brandt is in jeopardy after Real Sociedad entered the race, according to TEAMtalk.
The Whites have had an excellent summer transfer window so far, despite losing key defender Pascal Struijk, as they brought in Harry Wilson from Fulham on a free transfer, Tarik Muharemovic in a £34m deal from Sassuolo, and agreed a club-record £40m+ deal to sign new goalkeeper James Trafford.
But the club are still looking to add more firepower to Daniel Farke’s squad for the upcoming campaign as they look to move away from relegation battles, and they had been in the driver’s seat for a major coup until recently.
However, Leeds are now fearing the worst after La Liga giants Real Sociedad entered the race and made a ‘compelling’ pitch to convince him to join them instead.
Sociedad have offered the ‘special’ player a regular place in their starting lineup, and are hoping that the fact they will be playing European football in the 2026/27 season could be enough to tempt him to choose them over Leeds.
It’s understood that the decision for the 48-cap international is essentially a straight shootout between Leeds and Sociedad at this stage, and Leeds hope that his preference for the Premier League will be enough to win the battle. They also believe their strong German contingent, which includes the manager and his staff, and midfielder Anton Stach, could help.
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Leeds Signing Brandt a Huge Coup
via Reuters
Leeds managed to avoid relegation from the Premier League with a few games to spare last season, but it didn’t always look very comfortable for them, and they know that they need to strengthen to avoid another battle.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin enjoyed a fine maiden campaign at Elland Road following his free transfer move from Everton, and pairing him with Brandt’s brilliant passing ability and quality in the final third could be a great way of unlocking another level from the striker.
Bringing in a player who has played regularly at the highest level in recent years would be a huge coup for a club that was playing in the Championship 18 months ago, and the 49ers must do everything they can to secure the deal ahead of Real Sociedad.
FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Argentina’s football association and several of its players following a string of alleged breaches at the World Cup.
Among them is the unveiling of a banner reading “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas” (The Falklands are Argentine), brandished by players after their late 2-1 comeback in the semi-final over England in Atlanta.
FIFA said using a sporting event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature could breach its disciplinary code. Other alleged breaches include discriminatory chants and gestures, late kick-offs, security failures, and objects thrown by fans across multiple matches.
Separate proceedings have also been opened following the melee that ensued after the final. Former PSG and Roma midfielder Leandro Paredes shoved Spain’s Gavi to the ground amid full-time scenes in New Jersey, and now faces three counts of assault, with Atletico Madrid right-back Nahuel Molina facing two.
