Folarin Balogun’s future at Arsenal has always seemed likely to come to an end this summer.
At first, the USMNT international was heavily linked with a move to Europe having caught the eye of a number of clubs with his displays in France. Balogun scored 22 times for Stade Reims last season, outscoring Lionel Messi, Neymar and both of Arsenal’s strikers.
Inter Milan, AC Milan, RB Leipzig, AS Monaco and RC Lens have all expressed an interest in the 22-year-old, although some have made moves elsewhere. AC Milan pulled out of the race quite early and Leipzig bought Lois Openda from Lens for a club-record fee worth €43million (£36.7m/$48.2m), whilst Inter and Monaco have seen bids turned down.
football.london understands the Gunners recently turned down a bid from AS Monaco worth roughly £34.4million. The north Londoners are believed to be open to negotiations over their £50million ($63.6m valuation, but there remains hope to receive a club-record bid before the window shuts.
Now, two weeks remain for the Gunners to negotiate a deal for both parties. Mikel Arteta has continued to remain tight-lipped on Balogun, but actions speak louder than words and the Gunners boss has excluded the Hale Ender in his opening two squads of the season.
In the past week, Chelsea and Tottenham have emerged as two shock candidates to sign Balogun. Various reports have received mixed responses but both sides are desperate for a new centre-forward.
It’s unclear whether Arsenal will sanction a deal for one of their London rivals, but funds are needed to further strengthen Arteta’s squad before the window closes. However, doing so would deny Balogun of his early pre-season wish.
Having been part of the Gunners’ squad that travelled Stateside in July, Balogun was faced with questions regarding his future by the local press and despite remaining relatively coy, he did insist that he’s keen on proving his worth at the Emirates Stadium.
“My aim is to build on last season. I was away on loan,” he said. “I wanted to make an impact and show people I can play at the level and I felt like I did that.
“Me coming back here, I just want to earn my stripes and build on what I did last season,” he said heading into the game.
“I’m just here in pre-season just enjoying it. I try and not look into the future, I let my agent and family handle those sorts of things. For sure, I’m happy being here. I’m just enjoying every minute. I’m just looking forward to the future.”
The race is wide open for Balogun. A move away from north London continues to be the most probable outcome but staying put at Arsenal with the potential to fight for his place could be how it ends.
