Celtic must plan bargain deal for exciting Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun amid contract uncertainty

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Arsenal are back in Europe League action tonight as they host Rapid Vienna at the Emirates Stadium tonight.

Mikel Arteta needs a win given his side’s Premier League struggles, but he may still be tempted to rotate some of his side ahead of this weekend’s clash with rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

One player who may be hoping to feature is striker Folarin Balogun, given that he scored in the 3-0 win over Molde last week.

Balogun, 19, has shown his potential at Arsenal. He hit 10 goals and four assists in 15 Premier League 2 outings last season, and now has five goals and two assists in 13 appearances this term.

The teenager looks to be a huge talent for the future, but there’s a problem for Arsenal; his contract expires at the end of the season, meaning he could soon walk away.

Arteta admitted last week that he wants Balogun to stay, believing that the teenager has started to change certain things and was really fighting for his Arsenal future.

Still, the January transfer window is mere weeks away, and he will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with a non-English club – and that’s where Celtic must look to pounce.

They have struck a similar deal in the past. Back in 2016, they landed Moussa Dembele on a pre-contract agreement from Fulham, paying minimal compensation before selling him on two years later having become a star at Parkhead.

Odsonne Edouard’s long-term future is up in the air, and signing another quick, exciting, promising and potentially clinical striker has to be a priority for the Bhoys.

Balogun would be able to sign for bargain compensation thanks to cross-border contract rules, and the lure of first-team football at Celtic should be hugely appealing rather than sitting and waiting around his chance at Arsenal.

Yes, it would be a lot to ask of a 19-year-old with little first-team exposure, but Balogun has the potential to earn Celtic a huge profit just like Dembele did, and he should see the progress Kieran Tierney made there as a real positive.

Celtic need to find another striker from somewhere, and if Arsenal can’t get a contract sorted with Balogun by January 1^st, the Bhoys should be ready to pounce – even if it means he only arrives next summer rather than being an instant impact player.