Tottenham Hotspur have received a potential blow in their bid to sign one of their top transfer targets, after Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Barcelona have opened talks for him.
After two demoralising Premier League campaigns that ended in successive 17th-placed finishes, expectations and excitement are building ahead of the 2026-27 season for Tottenham.
New manager Roberto De Zerbi steered the club to safety last term, and he is now working with club chiefs to ensure they have a squad that will be nowhere near the bottom three again in the upcoming campaign.
Spurs have already added half-a-dozen new faces to their squad before pre-season started, although the Italian has confirmed that he still wants to add more attacking players to his squad ahead of the summer window closing on September 1.
De Zerbi hinted that he wanted a 'couple' of important new additions for his frontline, with doubts over the future of someone like Richarlison this summer.
Romano: Barcelona Open Talks to Sign Junior Kroupi
In a brand-new update posted on his official YouTube channel on Monday afternoon, Romano issued an update on Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi, who is attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Tottenham are said to be targeting a move for the young French forward even if they land top winger target Savinho from Manchester City, but now they have been joined in the race by Barcelona.
According to the Italian journalist, the Catalan giants have held discussions with both the player's camp and the Cherries over a move.
He said: "One name to watch in the next weeks of transfer window is Junior Kroupi, the striker from Bournemouth.
"According to my information, Barcelona opened talks with people close to Kroupi and spoke also to Bournemouth about Kroupi as a possibility upfront. So Barcelona took some information and made some calls to understand the situation.
"He's a player they appreciate. So for sure, the name of Kroupi is a name to keep under consideration for Barcelona. The problem is that this deal is also very complicated because Bournemouth don't want to sell the player this summer. Bournemouth insist on keeping Kroupi at the club this summer, and so it's not easy for Barcelona."
Tottenham Move Into Pole Position to Sign £70m Star
Reports on Sunday claimed that Tottenham have now moved to the front of the queue to sign Savinho from City, with negotiations over a deal 'well advanced'.
Serie A giants AC Milan are also in the race for the Brazil international after failing with an ambitious approach to sign his City teammate Phil Foden, who has since signed a new long-term contract to stay at the Etihad.
City are said to be open to letting Savinho leave the club this summer after rejecting Spurs' advances 12 months ago, but they want to land their own targets first.