Arsenal transfer list £50m academy star

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 4 Jul 2023 18:11 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal have placed a €58 million (£50m) price tag on 21-year-old Folarin Balogun amid uncertainty surrounding his future at the club.

Balogun excelled on loan at Ligue 1 side Stade Reims last campaign and after netting 22 goals in all competitions for Will Still’s side, he has attracted attention from across the continent.

AC Milan, Juventus, Marseille and RB Leipzig have all been attributed with interest in Balogun, but Arsenal are determined to charge a significant amount for any club wanting to sign the youngster.

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According to Sky Sports, the Gunners are bracing themselves for offers for Balogun, but are not willing to sanction a sale for less than €58m (£50m). The USMNT star has made it clear to the hierarchy at the Emirates Stadium that he does not want another loan spell away from the club, having proven himself in Ligue 1 last term, leaving Arsenal in a difficult situation.

Mikel Arteta’s side signed Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City last summer, while Kai Havertz was purchased from Chelsea this window. The Germany international is likely to fill a multitude of roles at Arsenal, including in midfield, but he is another obstacle in Balogun’s path to regular first-team action at the Emirates Stadium.

Furthermore, fellow Hale End academy graduate Eddie Nketiah put pen to paper on a new deal in June 2022, meaning Balogun is deemed the more likely to be sold.

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However, it’s set to take a considerable fee for anyone to seal a deal to take the USMNT international away from north London.

Balogun at Arsenal

Balogun started the opening game of the 2021/22 Premier League season - a 2-0 defeat to Brentford - and was a late substitute in another 2-0 defeat one week later (this time to Chelsea), but has not played in the competition since. The last time he appeared in an Arsenal shirt was in December 2021 during a 5-1 win over Sunderland in the Carabao Cup.

He was sent on loan to Middlesbrough for the second-half of the 2021/22 campaign before he moved to France just six months later to join Reims on a season-long loan.

Balogun recently snubbed England and declared his international allegiance to the United States. The forward, who was born in New York, marked his second appearance for the national team with a goal against Canada.