'We approached him' - Roberto Martinez reveals Premier League star refused Portugal call-up ahead of World Cup

Roberto Martinez has revealed an unsuccessful approach to convince a Premier League star to play for Portugal ahead of the World Cup.

Martinez's Portugal 26-man squad was officially announced on Sunday, with plenty of representation from England's top flight as Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva all join captain Cristiano Ronaldo on the plane.

Paris Saint-Germain pair Joao Neves and Vitinha are also in, while West Ham midfielder Matheus Fernandes has not made the cut.

But another talking point coming out of the squad announcement was the revelation from Martinez that Portugal approached Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi to come and play for them.

The 19-year-old has been in sensational form for the Cherries in their European push, scoring a joint-record 12 goals in the Premier League as a teenager.

He is eligible to play for Portugal through his mother's side of the family but was born in France and has a father, Eli, who played for the Ivory Coast.

Junior Kroupi has been in fine form for Bournemouth. Image: Getty

According to Martinez, Kroupi decided to turn down their advances as he has committed to playing for birth country France, where he has featured for the Under 21's.

Portugal did manage to persuade Matheus Mane of Wolves to represent them and switch allegiance from England, but it was a different story with Kroupi.

"Before the March training camp, we approached him," Martinez explained.

“But one thing is accompanying players who can wear the Portugal shirt, another is the player's willingness. And in this case, Junior wanted to represent France, so we respect that."

France's squad has already been announced last week and Kroupi was not in the group of 26 players selected by Didier Deschamps.

He picked a stacked forward line which included the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, Michael Olise and Jean-Phillipe Mateta.

Under a new manager, however, Kroupi could well get the nod in the future for France after the World Cup.

Portugal, meanwhile have been drawn in Group K for the showpiece, with games against DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia in the 48-team showpiece.

Another surprise in their squad was the omission of Tottenham Hotspur's Joao Palhinha, who has featured 37 times for the national team but will play no part at the World Cup.

Joao Felix, Pedro Neto and Rafael Leao have all been included for the tournament.