Arsenal transfer clauses demanded as Inter Milan ‘ready Folarin Balogun bid’

Arsenal fans have urged Mikel Arteta and Edu to move sensibly in negotiating a potential summer exit for Folarin Balogun, who is said to have emerged as a target for Inter Milan. Balogun impressed on loan at Rennes last season but still appears to be some way off establishing himself as a regular player for the Gunners, who have nurtured his talents since he joined their academy system in 2008.

Inter are believed to be keen admirers of Balogun and are expected to submit an opening bid in the region of £34million over the coming days, according to The Athletic. It is said that the Italian giants are interested after pulling out of a deal to re-sign Romelu Lukaku, although their initial offer is set to fall disappointingly short of Arsenal’s asking price.

The north Londoners are said to value Balogun at around £50m, which suggests that Inter will need to do some negotiating in order to secure the forward’s signature before the new season gets underway. Arsenal fans on Twitter have been clamouring for the Gunners to sweeten the deal by including a buy-back option, while others would like to see a sell-on clause written into any successful agreement.

@Benny_Blancooo wrote: “Definitely need that buy back clause/first option. [Manchester] City sold [Kelechi] Iheanacho to Leicester for £25m and had a £50m buy-back in the event he blew up.” @point32afc, meanwhile, added: “I’d take a lower fee if there’s a significant sell-on clause added to the deal, but back also works.”

@adamvoge was quick to relay a similar view as he declared: “I’d sell Balogun for something in the high £30m/low £40m range but I’d protect myself with a sell-on or first right of refusal clause. We need to be decisive and not so afraid to miss out, take care of today first.”

“Put in a sell-on or first refusal clause, he wants game time and he isn’t getting that at Arsenal next season,” said @sagar_tkd, while @Despo_Hockey posted: “Buy back or sell-on clause. He had one good season and is the odd man out in our squad. Generating £30m+ for him is totally fine.”

Balogun, meanwhile, was quizzed on his situation this week but insisted that he remains fully focused on Arsenal’s pre-season tour, adding that his family and representatives will be tasked with sorting out his future over the coming weeks.

“To be honest I was away for the year so I’m just back,” he told 90min. “Obviously I’m just focused on pre-season with the team. It’s nice to see everyone, all the staff, but I’m just focused here [on pre-season] and my agent and family are dealing with [my future].”

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