Arsenal bring forward £80m signing plan by a year after personal phone call made

Arsenal have brought forward plans to sign an £80 million-rated striker by 12 months following their defeat in the Champions League final, it has been reported.

The Gunners lost to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in Budapest on Saturday following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes both missed from the spot as Arsenal went down 4-3 on penalties.

Though there were few complaints about the overall performance of Mikel Arteta's side at the Puskas Arena, particularly in terms of how solidly they defended for much of the 120 minutes, there were some concerns among fans about their lack of attacking threat - particularly after Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were both taken off.

The Gunners ended the match with a front three of Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli, who pushed on to help Arsenal get over the line but didn't create much in the way of clear-cut chances.

Arsenal have already been linked with a move for Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers this summer, but would likely have to pay a fee close to the £100 million that Villa received from Manchester City for Jack Grealish back in 2021.

READ MORE: Mikel Arteta 'personally leading' Arsenal push to sign £100m England star

It has now emerged that they are targeting a move for another Premier League forward.

Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi netted 13 goals in his debut season for the Cherries and played a key role in helping them to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history.

It was reported last week that their Europa League participation had strengthened the club's belief that they could keep hold of the 19-year-old for another season, and that they even expected him to stay for another 12 months.

Junior Kroupi scored 13 goals in his debut Premier League season after signing for Bournemouth from Lorient (Image: Getty)

The i Paper claim that Manchester City also want to sign Kroupi but were aware that he would not be for sale until next summer.

READ MORE: Man City decide on first two signings under Enzo Maresca as private talks held

Kroupi to Arsenal call revealed

"The big gem on the market - Kroupi," Fabrizio Romano explained on his YouTube channel regarding interest in Kroupi.

"Bournemouth would like and love to keep the player. After the fantastic season he had, in terms of numbers, goals and quality, several top clubs have started calling.

"In the Premier League, I can tell you for sure that Arsenal have called. Manchester City have called. And more clubs are interested - let's see if Iraola goes to Liverpool, also what happens with Kroupi.

"Paris Saint-Germain are in the mix. PSG have had some contacts, and they really appreciate him. They have a good connection with his agents.

"Of course, if Kroupi goes to PSG, this could impact the situation with Julian Alvarez."

Atletico Madrid striker Alvarez has also been linked with Arsenal, but now appears to be closing in on a move to Barcelona.

Argentine media report that the former Manchester City star has agreed a five-year contract at Camp Nou, but a furious Atletico have hit out at Barca's conduct over the entire transfer saga on social media.

Mimicking Romano's style of tweeting, Atletico posted three parody transfer offers for Barca stars Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha.

On Yamal, they wrote: "HERE WE GO! We have sent a fax to FC Barcelona with our transfer offer: 4 tickets for tomorrow's Bad Bunny concert, an annual subscription to ABC, and a bag of sunflower seeds.

"We eagerly await the response to prepare the 'announce'."

For Pedri, Atleti 'offered' an extra six tickets for the following day's Bad Bunny concert, while they requested only a season-long loan for Raphinha.