Barcelona fail with two bids to sign leading Julian Alvarez alternative | OneFootball

Barcelona are determined to secure the services of a new striker before the summer transfer window closes next month. Their leading target is still Julian Alvarez, but with Atletico Madrid continuing to block any move made by the Catalan club, they have started to look elsewhere – and that’s where Eli Junior Kroupi comes into the equation.

In recent weeks, Barcelona have identified Kroupi as their leading alternative to Alvarez. The 20-year-old impressed sporting director Deco and his team during his 13-goal Premier League campaign in 2025-26, and this has prompted to be made towards signing him.

Barcelona have moved quickly in the last couple of weeks to get closer to signing Kroupi, knowing that he’s also wanted by Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain. However, their efforts look to have been in vain, with L’Equipe (via Sport) reporting that the La Liga champions have had two offers rejected by Bournemouth in the last few days.

According to the report, both offers were below €100m, although this was nowhere near enough for Bournemouth to consider selling their prized asset. From Barcelona’s perspective, they are not comfortable paying more than €100m for a player with only one season of top-level football under his belt, which is why there are no plans to increase their proposal anytime soon.

Barcelona have since stopped Kroupi signing plans

News of Barcelona having two offers rejected lined up with reports in the last 24 hours that they have cooled their interest in Kroupi. They are not willing to pay more than was already on the table, which is why they have exited negotiations and decided to look elsewhere.

It makes sense for Barcelona not to overpay for Kroupi, as it would be a risk to splash out €100m+ on him. However, they are running out of striker targets, while time itself is also running out for the Catalan club.