Arsenal have reportedly slapped an eye-watering £35million price tag on Folarin Balogun after the striker hinted at a permanent departure from the Emirates Stadium. Balogun supposedly has interest from Premier League clubs, as well as RB Leipzig and AC Milan.
The 21-year-old starlet caught the attention of some of Europe’s top clubs after scoring 22 times on loan at Reims last season. Leipzig are reportedly leading the race for Balogun’s signature but the German outfit face strong competition.
Balogun will return to the Gunners this summer to find Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah ahead of him in Mikel Arteta’s pecking order. He has insisted that he does not want another loan move and instead seems set for a permanent exit to kickstart his career.
Premier League Crystal Palace are allegedly keeping tabs on the striker as part of their search for a prolific attacker. AC and Inter Milan have also been linked.
According to the Sun, Arsenal want a huge £35m for Balogun this summer, knowing that they need to offset some of their vast spending. Their hopes of landing a big fee for the American have been boosted by his form on international duty.
Balogun recently switched allegiance from England to the USA and scored in just his second senior appearance for the country. The New York-born talent previously scored seven goals in 13 caps for England U21s.
Arsenal will cash in on Balogun after he insisted that he would not entertain another loan departure. He previously spent half a season on loan at Championship Middlesbrough, scoring three times in 18 matches.
“What I can say is that I definitely won’t go on loan again,” the Arsenal academy graduate, who has made 10 Gunners appearances, said this weekend.
“I’m not sure on the discussions that are going to take place, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. But I’m just committed to now, I try to stay present.”
A £35m fee would help Arsenal reduce their likely significant net spend this summer. As reported by Express Sport last week, Arteta has four major targets he wants the club to sign in order to continue challenging for trophies.
A move for Declan Rice is well documented, although West Ham have knocked back two bids by the Gunners and there is now interest from Manchester City. In more positive news, Kai Havertz is due to sign from Chelsea in the coming days – while deals for Jurrien Timber and Romeo Lavia remain in the pipeline.
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