Barcelona joined by Arsenal, Man City in race for striker; no €130m valuation placed despite claims | OneFootball

Since the beginning of the summer transfer window, Barcelona’s chase for a number nine has led to just one road: Julian Alvarez.

However, with Atletico Madrid being absolutely stubborn in their stance not to sell him this summer, Barça have been forced to start looking at alternatives.

It has since emerged that Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi had been seen as an alternative the Catalan club have on their radar.

It was even revealed that the Cherries had priced their talented French attacker at €130 million, an enormous fee for a player with a single Premier League season behind him.

Now, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, suggestions that Bournemouth have set a €130 million asking price are inaccurate.

No shortage of suitors. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)

While Kroupi is attracting strong interest from across Europe, the Premier League club have not placed a specific price tag on the 20-year-old.

Barcelona face competition for Kroupi

The journalist adds that Barcelona are among several clubs monitoring Kroupi’s situation.

Manchester City and Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the French attacker, underlining just how highly he is rated despite still being at the beginning of his career.

That level of interest is hardly surprising. Kroupi’s technical quality, versatility across the front line and long-term potential make him one of the most closely watched young forwards in Europe.

Bournemouth’s position remains unchanged

Although no valuation has been set, Bournemouth’s stance is clear.

Like midfielder Alex Scott, Kroupi is not a player the club want to sell this summer. That means interested clubs would first need to convince Bournemouth to change their position.

For Barcelona, this is a situation worth monitoring rather than rushing.

Barcelona see Kroupi as Plan B. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

The absence of a fixed asking price leaves room for future negotiations, but Bournemouth’s reluctance to sell means any move would be extremely difficult during the current window.

Although it has been reported that Kroupi is keen on moving to Barcelona, much like Alvarez is, there is nothing that can be done without the selling club agreeing to negotiate.

If Barça genuinely view Kroupi as a long-term target, waiting for the right opportunity could prove more sensible than entering an expensive bidding battle against Premier League rivals.

It remains to be seen whether Barcelona move for Alvarez or Kroupi, or whether they circle back to another striker target this summer.