Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment department will have their eye on Sunday’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford following the latest update regarding Eli Junior Kroupi.

Eli Junior Kroupi continues to be linked with a January move to Spurs after the forward’s foot injury in pre-season ended the Lilywhites’ pursuit of him in the summer window.

However, Roberto De Zerbi’s side could have a lot more competition to contend with for the Frenchman in the winter.

According to various reports, Barcelona and Arsenal could challenge the Lilywhites for Kroupi’s signature if the 20-year-old proves his fitness in the lead-up to the January window.

Tottenham target Eli Junior Kroupi could play his first game of the season against Man United

The rumoured Spurs target is yet to be in competitive action this season as he has been rehabilitating from the foot injury he suffered in pre-season.

It has been reported over the past week that the Bournemouth man is edging close to a return, and the Cherries boss Marco Silva has now made a big revelation on the youngster.

The South Coast club take on AC Milan in a big Europa League tie tomorrow, and while Kroupi will miss that clash as he is not in the club’s Europa League squad, he could be in line to play at Old Trafford.

When asked about the forward, Rose said (via ESPN): “Junior is back into team training but not on the UEFA list, but maybe we can have him for some minutes in Manchester.”

Why Spurs may abandon their pursuit of Kroupi despite heavy summer interest

After Kroupi’s injury in the summer, Tottenham went on to spend big to add firepower to their forward line, securing Omar Marmoush and Savio for big money deals from Man City.

According to reports, the Cherries are expected to demand at least £80m for Kroupi in January, and one can imagine that the price will go up if he scores a few goals over the next two months.

It has been widely reported that Tottenham will be restrained in the January window after their spending spree in the summer, with De Zerbi’s men set to look for value-for-money deals rather than paying big fees.

That indicates that Spurs may do their shopping outside England in the winter after signing all 10 players from rival Premier League clubs in the summer.