Chelsea have been urged to sign Bournemouth wonderkid Eli Junior Kroupi as Andoni Iraola emerges as a favourite to take over as the club’s manager.
Standard Sport understands the Catalan, who is out of contract this summer, ranks highly on the Blues’ shortlist to replace Liam Rosenior, who was sacked last week after overseeing a run of seven defeats in eight matches.
Chelsea will face competition from Crystal Palace and Athletic Club for Iraola’s signature, but could sweeten their offer by reuniting the Cherries boss with one of his top prospects in Kroupi.
The 19-year-old, who arrived at Bournemouth from Lorient last summer, has 11 goals in 30 league appearances this season, and speaking last week, Iraola hailed him as a “special” talent who has come on in leaps and bounds since they began working together.
For Chelsea legend Florent Malouda, the move would make sense.
“Eli Junior Kroupi to Chelsea? He's a very good talent,” the former France international told Snabbare. “He did very well last season (at Lorient), one of the top players in France, and I'm very happy to see him doing well this season as well.”
He added, though, that Kroupi may struggle for minutes at such a big club, where he would be competing with Joao Pedro for playing time.
It is also understood that Chelsea will look to sign more experienced talent in the summer window, moving away from the focus on young talent.
Malouda continued: “Again, I believe he needs to confirm it for one more season, at least in the Premier League. They're looking to get game time and the confidence that comes from that.
“He might not get it at a top club if he jumps too early. So, I think he came to the Premier League to develop himself, to challenge himself, and he needs to keep doing that.”
Chelsea may look to sign a striker this summer after Liam Delap’s underwhelming first campaign in royal blue.
Nicolas Jackson is also set to return from his loan to Bayern Munich, where he has served largely as Harry Kane’s understudy, but it remains unclear whether he will play a role in the first-team or look for pastures new.
