Sunderland selected 19-year-old French forward Junior Kroupi from Bournemouth with the 10th pick in the draft. The club was reportedly content to acquire whichever forward Fulham, who had the ninth pick, did not choose. Fulham ultimately selected Morgan Rogers, leaving Kroupi available for Sunderland.
The selection of the forward comes as only three teams scored fewer than Sunderland's 36 goals this season. Kroupi's 10 goals in the campaign suggest a prolific career may be ahead. Kroupi has 5 caps and 3 goals for the France U21 team. He joined Bournemouth from Lorient in February 2025 for a fee reported to be €13m. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is €40.00m. Recent reports from April 2026 suggested Bournemouth could sell the player for a fee between £55-60m, while in February 2026, the asking price was reported to be around £80m.
