Tottenham are interested in signing Eli Junior Kroupi, but they have alternative options, with Bournemouth potentially demanding in the region of £100m.

After heavily focusing on bringing in new defenders and midfielders, attention for Tottenham could turn to improving their forward line.

Marcos Senesi, Jan-Paul Van Hecke, and Andy Robertson joined the club to improve their defence, whilst Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes improved their midfield options.

Signing a new centre forward could be one of their priorities. Randal Kolo Muani spent last season on loan at Spurs, but it appears that they will not be signing him on a permanent basis.

Kroupi does appear to be a key target for Tottenham, but whether they will pay the asking price remains to be seen.

Tottenham eyeing free-agent striker

According to a report from Team Talk, Tottenham are considering a move to sign free-agent striker Dusan Vlahovic if they fail to agree a deal for Kroupi.

Roberto De Zerbi wants to bring in a new striker and a new winger during the summer transfer window. Bournemouth are set to charge in the region of £90 million to £100 million for Kroupi, but Spurs are considering making a £75 million bid.

Vlahovic is being eyed as an alternative and would certainly be a lot cheaper, considering he is a free agent.

You could certainly argue that Vlahovic would be the better value-for-money signing, especially if Bournemouth are unwilling to drop their asking price.

Vlahovic the more proven option

Vlahovic is certainly the more proven option between him and Bournemouth forward Kroupi, at the age of 26.

Kroupi has had just one season at Premier League level, although it was an incredibly impressive one.

The 20-year-old is set to cost a huge amount of money, which is very common for clubs selling from Premier League to Premier League.

Tottenham might be better off bringing in Vlahovic on a free transfer and signing a younger, unproven striker alongside him.

Kroupi is simply too expensive for Tottenham, although that hasn’t put them off with other deals during the summer transfer window.

Mariano Rajoy, who served as Spain’s Prime Minister from 2011-2018, has sparked outrage with ‘disgraceful’ comments about the French national football team.

Spain and France will go head-to-head at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday, July 14, for their World Cup semi-final. The match promises to be a fascinating encounter, with both sides very impressive in their runs to the last four.

The victor will face either Argentina or England in the final at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19.

However, the build-up to the highly-anticipated match has been marred by racist remarks made by Rajoy.

REUTERS/Mike Segar

Rajoy wrote about the upcoming match against France in his column for Spanish outlet El Debate. While he is well aware of how good France is, he remarked that they ‘don’t have any French players.’

He wrote: “What will happen? It’s not easy to answer such a question. Without going into too much detail, it’s worth remembering that France has been a two-time world champion and a finalist in the last edition. They’ve won every match they’ve played in this World Cup and are currently ranked number one in the FIFA rankings.

He added: “We’ve won a World Cup and the European Championship four times. More than France, who have only triumphed twice. We’re third in the FIFA rankings and have only conceded one goal in this World Cup. And there’s a lot of talent up front, so we’ll see. I have a hunch: we’re going to win. Lacking any real reasoning, it’s a feeling.”

Rajoy Slammed by Spain’s Prime Minister

REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

Spain’s current Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn Rajoy. He wrote:

“There are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin color. Others measure it by our roots in a country and our will to contribute to it. Playing soccer. Caring for our elders. Or opening businesses.

The French embassy in Madrid wrote: “Without wanting to get into a controversy, it is worth recalling the facts: all the players on the French national team are French. Of the 26 players, 23 were born in France. The three who were born abroad are French too.”

While Naima Moutchou, the minister of the overseas for France’s territories, also criticised Rajoy and urged the France Football Federation (FFF) to take legal action. He stated, per The Athletic: “After each France victory, the same obsessions and racist insults resurface. These are not slips. This is a methodical and normalised hatred of France and what it is.”

Rajoy’s comments come days after Kylian Mbappe called out Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla for making ‘despicable’ and ‘racist’ comments about him.

One of the World Cup stars who could end up in the Premier League was spotted rowing with Norway fans during their 2-1 loss to England last night.

The trademark ‘Viking Row’ has gone viral and has become an iconic chant at this summer’s tournament. It was in full flow after Stale Solbakken’s men took the lead through Andreas Schjelderup.

Jude Bellingham came to the fore once again, first equalising in normal time before scoring an extra-time winner. It means the Three Lions will meet reigning champions Argentina in the semi-finals and ends a memorable campaign for the Norwegians.

World Cup Star Rows With Norway vs England

HMB Media/ Marco Bader via Sipa USA

Norway reached their first-ever quarter-final after knocking out record-holders Brazil in the Round of 16. The ship has sailed, though, after losing to England at Miami Stadium.

The European nation has earned plenty of supporters for their admirable performance, including players from other countries. Mexico’s wonderkid Gilberto Mora appears to have caught Norwegian fever as he attended the game on Saturday.

Mora was in the stands alongside his agent Rafaela Pimenta ahead of kick-off. He then reappeared wearing a Norway shirt and performed the ‘Viking Row’ chant with Norwegian fans.

Mora’s appearance didn’t go unnoticed, and one fan asked: “What is Gilberto Mora doing rowing with the Vikings HAHAHAHA.” The 17-year-old stole the show for Mexico but was on the losing side against England in the Round of 16.

The Tijuana attacker was in floods of tears after a 3-2 loss, and Bellingham comforted him in the tunnel. Despite exiting the tournament, he is clearly sticking around to see who is crowned world champions.

Why Mora Supported Norway

REUTERS/Raquel Cunha via Action Images

There’s a good reason why Mora attended Norway’s game against England and that’s because of links to Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker started up top for Solbakken’s side but struggled to get involved and was surprisingly brought off for extra time.

Mora and Haaland share the same agent, Pimenta, and it’s thought that he is trying to secure a transfer for the Mexican starlet. He certainly put clubs on notice with his exploits during the World Cup.

One of them appears to be Liverpool, who are reportedly preparing to make a bid for the teenage attacking midfielder. There’s every chance he meets Haaland as an opponent next season should he make the move to Anfield.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also thought to be keeping tabs. He is undoubtedly one of the breakout stars of the World Cup who might have earned himself a high-profile transfer.