(Credit: Imago)

Ciaran Morrison

Sun 31 May 2026 19:42, UK

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Bournemouth must fear being a stepping stone for Eli Junior Kroupi after Bayern Munich registered their interest.

According to The Munchner Merkur, Kroupi is on “the radar of Bayern Munich scouts” as they look to sign a back up for Luis Diaz.

Bournemouth have lost multiple stars including Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid and Ilya Zabarnyi to PSG last summer, and history could be about to repeat itself.

The Cherries are right to demand a hefty fee to allow the Kroupi to leave, but the lure of Bayern Munich could be too much for the 19-year-old to turn down.

With manager Andoni Iraola having left the club, it is now the job of new boss Marco Rose to try and convince Kroupi to remain at the Vitality Stadium.

Premier League duo look to be beaten by Bayern Munich in transfer race

Sources told Football Insider that Arsenal and Chelsea have registered their interest in signing Kroupi this summer.

It seems unlikely how either club could either afford to sign Kroupi, or offer him guaranteed first team minutes, without making any sales.

Given these factors, Bayern Munich must surely be ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign Kroupi, with his versatility also an important factor.

With Nicolas Jackson having returned to Chelsea from his loan spell at Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga club are sure to be looking for back-up to Harry Kane this summer, which is another role Kroupi could fulfil.

The Frenchman was efficient in front of goal this season, and scored against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.

Two Bournemouth stars could also leave this summer

If Kroupi does leave Bournemouth this summer, then it could have a knockout effect on other stars who have uncertain futures at the club, and stop them from being able to compete in Europe next season.

Offers are also expected to arrive for midfielder Alex Scott and forward Rayan, who were key players in Bournemouth qualifying for European football for the very first time in their history.

Scott is currently being pursued by Man United, so Rose could face a busier summer transfer window than anticipated trying to replace the star quality in his squad.

Extra squad depth is surely going to have to be required to balance Premier League and European football, meaning Bournemouth must be doing all they can to ensure they only sell at the highest price possible.