After six goal involvements in 21 appearances during half-a-season with Championship side Middlesbrough last term, Folarin Balogun notched seven in his first six Ligue 1 matches – four starts – as Stade Reims reaped the rewards of their Arsenal loanee’s ever-improving growth abroad. Now with uncertainty over his long-term future in north London, suitors across Europe are circling.
Arsenal’s asking price reportedly €40m for Balogun
- Balogun scored 21 goals – only bettered by three others – with three assists as Reims finished five points and a place better off than 2021-22 under first-year head coach Will Still, despite losing six of their last eight
- Milan and Champions League finalists Inter among series of European clubs interested in Arsenal striker, who has made it clear he wants regular first-team football in 2023-24 – whether in north London, or elsewhere
- Balogun committed to the USMNT, after 28 England caps at U17-U21 level, and is one of several England-based players poised to feature in their CONCACAF Nations League semi-final vs. Mexico on Friday (3am KO BST)
Thrust into the proverbial fire as injuries hampered Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal squad, Folarin Balogun was frustratingly – but not unsurprisingly – an alarming non-factor in west London as Brentford beat the Gunners to start the 2021-22 season.
He continued to ply his trade at under-21 level, both with club and internationally leading the line for England, before joining Middlesbrough in mid-January of the same campaign hoping for better fortunes.
While his experience was invaluable, he didn’t exactly hit the ground running and instead that prepared him well for the sharp improvements that were to come.
Now though, he’s not satisfied with a breakthrough season in France.
He wants more, and Arsenal might not be able to give him those opportunities on a regular basis, with Gabriel Jesus their first-choice centre-forward and Edward Nketiah agreeing a five-year extension last summer.
Balogun has two years left to run on his existing contract, and much like many of their rivals with first-team players considering futures elsewhere, Arsenal will try selling as high as possible now if he’s unwilling to stay and fight for a regular berth.
Having been at the club since he was 10-years-old, it’ll be interesting to see how that dynamic develops over the summer – especially knowing there are a host of European clubs who can offer him first-team guarantees his boyhood club will not.
Milan’s three-match winning streak to end their Serie A season on a high means they, much like Inter, can offer him Champions League football next term.
RB Leipzig finished five points adrift of eventual champions Bayern, but are in the same boat while Marseille will be under new management after Igor Tudor’s departure, but again are privileged enough to do the same.
The quartet’s high finishing positions in their respective domestic leagues could be used as a bargaining tool in negotiations, compared to Villarreal (Europa League) – always tending to lose their best players every summer – and other unnamed suitors.
Napoli could seek a Victor Osimhen replacement, should the lure of Premier League football prove too enticing for their prolific Nigerian international this summer, while Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica are wildcard options elsewhere for similar reasons.
We’ll have to wait and see.
US squad, in full
Goalkeepers: Drake Callender (Inter Miami), Josh Cohen (Maccabi Haifa), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC), Matt Turner (Arsenal)
Defenders: Sergino Dest (Barcelona), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Arsenal), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
Midfielders: Johnny Cardoso (Internacional), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie and Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Alan Sonora (FC Juarez)
Forwards: Folarin Balogun (Arsenal), Taylor Booth (Utrecht), Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Timothy Weah (Lille), Alex Zendejas (Club America).
If players were featuring on-loan elsewhere in 2022-23, their parent club is in brackets
Picture source: Getty Images, squad detail via The Athletic
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