Barcelona’s transfer market plans with Julian Alvarez went horribly wrong during the summer transfer window. Alvarez, who was the team’s primary striker option, wasn’t let go by his club, Atlético Madrid. In the final days of the window, Barca did sign Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal, but Hansi Flick had already chalked up his plan to use Raphinha in the No. 9 position.
The plan worked as the Brazilian showcased terrific versatility, scoring 14 goals and 3 assists in 8 games this season. The game against PSG was supposed to be the litmus test on whether Raphinha can showcase the same tenacity against top European teams on Champions League nights.
As it turned out, Raphinha’s performance dipped against a strong defense of Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, and Achraf Hakimi. The Brazilian had a relatively quiet game as he was substituted off in the 60th minute with zero goals and assists. Although Raphinha was coming back from the injury that he sustained in the international break, these struggles for a traditional top-notch No. 9 have taken Barca to the Premier League.
SPORT reports that Barcelona has shown keen interest in 20-year-old AFC Bournemouth striker Eli Kroupi Jr. Kroupi announced his arrival to the world last season after scoring 13 goals in 33 games for the club. He is said to be immensely talented, with the ability to link-up play and shake off defenders with one-touch finishing.
His teammate and goalkeeper, Yvon Mvogo, has cited Kroupi’s finishing as ‘scary’, reports The Guardian. These qualities make Kroupi the perfect player in Flick’s 4-2-3-1 system that transcends into a 4-3-3 at times. He can link up with midfielders like Pedri and Fermin Lopez while also capitalize on the assists that Lamine Yamal and Raphinha put out from the wings.
OneFootball reports that Barcelona were seeing Eli Kroupi Jr. as a replacement for the Julian Alvarez signing. However, Kroupi’s foot injury pushed back this deal, while the asking price was reportedly on the higher side. Kroupi, who is currently valued at 59.5M pounds, has returned from that foot injury and has once reinstated the interest that Barca had in him.
Other clubs like Tottenham Hotspur are also eager to land the player, which already generates competition for Barca. Barca’s sporting director, Deco has always loved to sign promising young players, but landing Kroupi at the Camp Nou also depends on the club’s financial threshold for a 20-year-old.
So far, Barcelona haven’t started any talks to sign the player immediately in the upcoming winter transfer window. But considering the squad balance and the need for a No.9 prospect, all eyes would be on Deco and the Barca front office to make the calculated moves in the future.
