Barcelona and Real Madrid battle for the 'new Kylian Mbappe'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 24 Oct 2023 13:53 BST
• 4 min read

Real Madrid and Barcelona are set to do battle for French wonderkid Eli Junior Kroupi, according to French and Spanish media.

The 17-year-old has burst onto the scene at Lorient this term and he is already being compared to none other than Kylian Mbappe. The son of former Ligue 1 player Eli Kroupi, Eli Junior has featured in eight competitive games so far this term, racking up an impressive three goals and two assists.

Kroupi earned many plaudits for his performance in a 3-3 draw against struggling Olympique Lyon earlier this month. The youngster found the back of the net twice and put his name in the headlines in France - and he pushed Lyon deeper into their crisis.

READ: Chelsea offered surprise swap deal by Barcelona

A left winger, Kroupi is now being linked with Real Madrid by Foot01. The report indicates that Los Blancos are keeping a watchful eye on the Lorient talent, while also mentioning that Spanish outlet Cadena SER previously noted Barcelona interest.

Mbappe comparisons

After Kroupi's eye-catching outing against Lyon, former Chelsea flop Tiemoue Bakayoko, who now plays his football for Lorient alongside disgraced ex-Man City left-back Benjamin Mendy, spoke of the striking similarities between his teammate and Kylian Mbappe.

"He’s a phenomenon," Bakayoko said. "He reminds me a little of Kylian Mbappe in his playing maturity. He does everything very quickly. He already has good stats for a young person of his age."

READ: Barcelona star drops transfer hint that will worry Man Utd

"He's incredible. We must protect him. We have to give him time to toughen up a little but if he continues like this, we have a future Kylian Mbappe on our hands. He brings a lot to the team...He's only 17, let's be calm. He's a good boy."

Kroupi recently made his debut for the French U18s after scoring nine goals in nine games at the U17 level. If he keeps up his current form, it may not be long before Thierry Henry brings him into the U21 fold.

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