He’s better than Kroupi: Arsenal open fresh talks to sign £112m striker

The arrival of a striker last summer was Andrea Berta’s key priority during his first window in charge of the recruitment at Arsenal.

Nothing else mattered until they had added more firepower to the squad but instead of bringing in Benjamin Sesko, as the Gunners had planned to press ahead with prior to Berta’s arrival, they brought in Viktor Gyokeres instead.

The jury is still out on the Swede after a tricky first campaign in English football. That may well feel harsh. Gyokeres bagged 21 goals as Arsenal won a first Premier League title in 22 years and reached the Champions League final.

He was the club’s top scorer but while he was brilliant in front of goal, his ability to hold the ball up and connect with teammates was left wanting for much of the season.

So, with the window due to open for another summer of fun, another new striker could head to the Emirates Stadium. Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi is one name on their list but he’s not the only one.

Arsenal could sign big-money Kroupi alternative

One of Arsenal’s key targets for the upcoming window is Kroupi. The teenager burst onto the scene in quite some style with the Cherries this season and is attracting the interest of many, perhaps most notably Champions League winners PSG.

Yet, Arsenal will hope to be at the front of the queue for his services with Fabrizio Romano revealing this week that the Gunners, City and Luis Enrique’s side have all made calls to Bournemouth as they seek to sign Kroupi.

That said, this will not be a cheap deal to do. Marco Rose’s side do not want to sell and will not do so for anything less than an £80m fee.

If the Gunners are to sign any centre-forward this summer it likely will not be on the cheap. Another name who has regularly done the rounds is Julian Alvarez.

Arsenal love him and would like to do a deal. Reports throughout the last few months have outlined that. Yet, they are now making another move to try and force through a deal.

That’s according to reports on the continent which outline that PSG, Barcelona and the Gunners are all in the race to secure the Argentine’s signature.

Alvarez’s priority is to move to Barca but it’s unlikely they will be able to afford his price tag. A fee of £100m has been touted but this report actually outlines it could take something around £112m.

Berta is said to be ‘confident’ he can seal a move for the player and in the last few days, Arsenal have held talks with Atletico, lodging detailed enquiries.

How Alvarez compares to Kroupi

It would be quite the story if Arsenal signed Kroupi this summer, largely because of the events that played out at the end of the season.

Indeed, it was the youngster’s goal against Manchester City in their penultimate game of the campaign that sealed the Premier League title for the Gunners.

There’s not just a sentimental and romantic appeal to this move, however. The 19-year-old is a mighty fine player, so fine that he now holds the record for the most goals scored (13) by a teenager during their debut campaign in the Premier League.

He’s one of the best young players on the planet, heralded as “the next Mbappe” by some but he is still relatively unproven and untested at the top level.

Everyone who has watched Kroupi does not have a single bad thing to say about him. He’s versatile – capable of playing as a striker or just behind – while he’s a natural born goalscorer. He’s so efficient too. Only four players had a better conversion rate in England’s top-flight this season.

However, he is not Alvarez. The Argentine has come on leaps and bounds since moving to Atletico from Manchester City and he’s now one of the best forwards in the entire game.

Hailed as a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by former England international Joe Cole, the Atleti star is cut from a similar cloth to Kroupi.

Not just an out and out number 9 who can play as a lone figure at the top end of the pitch, he is also brilliant when playing slightly in behind the striker. He did just that at City, playing off Erling Haaland in a partnership that worked a treat.

During the 26-year-old’s final season at the Etihad he scored 19 goals and supplied 13 assists. At this moment in time, he is certainly better than Kroupi and he’s definitely more proven.

Since heading to Madrid, Alvarez has been electric, scoring as many as 29 goals in 2024/25 and netting another 20 for the Spanish giants in 2025/26.

Bournemouth’s dazzling teenager may well get to that level in the near future and as much as planning for the future is important, it does feel like Arsenal are in win now territory.

They have just won the league for the first time in over two decades and are looking to create a dynasty.

Kroupi would not be a bad signing at all. In fact, he’d be a remarkable coup given the clubs in the race to sign him. However, Alvarez is already one of the best around and he’s proven he can do it not just in Spain, but also in England.

He’s a player who could well be the missing piece of the puzzle in Arsenal’s quest to finally win the Champions League.