According to reports, Arsenal are set to hold talks with Folarin Balogun at the end of the season regarding his future, with the player currently smashing it while out on loan in France.
The striker on loan at French side, Reims is grabbing all the headlines this season and deservedly so with his outstanding performances. Folarin Balogun has scored 17 goals & recorded two assists from 27 appearances in Ligue One so far this campaign.
His scoring record puts him alongside Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David in the Ligue One top scorers chart. To be amongst them prestigious names at just 21-years-old is something special indeed & shows just how good Folarin Balogun is in front of goal.
As such, that form has seen the 21-year-old star linked with a series of high-profile moves, if Arsenal decide not to keep him come the end of his loan move.
Folarin Balogun of Reims. [Image Credit: Getty Images]
The likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan and most recently Bayern Munich are all supposedly interested to take him off Arsenal’s hands, if the player is allowed to leave North London this summer, as per TEAMTalk.
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However, from Mikel Arteta’s words in the past, it’s clear the Arsenal boss rates Balogun highly and the loan move was granted with the intention of sharpening his game.
Mikel Arteta has been watching the 21-year-old’s progress this season. The boss said this about Folarin Balogun a couple of weeks ago…
“I’m so happy for him. He’s a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career. He’s really ambitious, really committed and really brave.
We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and the other choices he had. He was so convinced. I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting.”
However, he remains down the pecking order at Arsenal with both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah ahead of him. Mikel Arteta trusts his two main men very much & it’s unlikely either will leave at the end of the season in order to make space for Folarin Balogun.
The return of Champions League football at the Emirates Stadium could pave the way for a chance to be offered to Folarin Balogun at the Emirates next season, however after playing week in, week out in France and getting the smell of what first-team is like at the top level, it’s unlikely Balogun will accept anything less once he returns in the summer.
The chance to make a fast buck on the 21-year-old will potentially give the Gunners something to ponder this summer, especially with the price tag they could put on the young striker.
As per TEAMTalk, Balogun will hold talks with Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu this summer to determine his future. As it stands, all possibilities remain on the table, with Balogun’s own feelings likely to influence any such decision.
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