Barcelona club received a strong blow, in the framework of its pursuit to sign a new striker during the current summer transfer window.
The Polish striker Robert Lewandowski left Barcelona's ranks after the end of last season, with his name linked to signing Argentine Julian Alvarez, Atletico Madrid striker, to succeed him next season.
With the Spanish capital club refusing to let go of its Argentine striker, the Catalan club began searching for a new striker, and the choice fell on French striker Eli Junior Kroupi, Bournemouth striker.
But Barcelona's desire to sign Kroupi collided with Bournemouth's refusal to let him go, before the player suffered an injury that will keep him out of action for a long period.
"The Athletic" network said that Kroupi suffered a foot injury during the team's pre-season training camp in Austria over the past period, and he returned to England to undergo the necessary medical examinations.
The examinations showed that the 20-year-old needed surgery, which he underwent on Wednesday, confirming his absence from the pitches for a period ranging from 3 to 4 months.
Thus, Kroupi will not return to training until October or November of this year, meaning he will miss a large part of the season, which complicates his transfer to a new club.
The French striker delivered outstanding performances with Bournemouth since joining from Lorient last summer, participating in 35 matches in which he scored 13 goals.
Kroupi's goals contributed to Bournemouth qualifying for the Europa League, after finishing sixth in the Premier League table under Spanish coach Andoni Iraola, before being succeeded by German Marco Rose after his move to Liverpool.
