The Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has confirmed his side have approached Arsenal about signing the teenage striker Folarin Balogun.
United are understood to have offered £3 million, plus add-ons, for Balogun, who is in the final year of his Arsenal contract, according to The Daily Mail.
But the newspaper claimed that the Gunners want a structured deal worth around £15m, a response which ‘stunned’ the Blades.
Asked about the bid on Wednesday, though, Wilder gave only limited details.
But it would appear that, as far as the Yorkshireman is concerned, a move to Sheffield United is not yet off the table for Balogun, who is still awaiting his professional debut.
“Yeah, we made an enquiry, regarding the young man at Arsenal,” Wilder told BBC Sport’s Rob Staton. “And that’s left with the CEO at Arsenal Football Club (Vinai Venkatesham).”
Wilder has made no secret of his desire to strengthen Sheffield United’s attacking options and is being strongly linked with another young English prospect in Rhian Brewster of Liverpool.
The Blades, who finished ninth in the Premier League last season, have brought in six new players since then.
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