Stade de Reims held talks with Arsenal over the permanent transfer of Folarin Balogun this January. The Ligue 1 side wanted to keep the striker amid a stunning loan spell at the club.
That is according to The Sun, which reports Reims boss Will Still asked Arsenal if a full-time transfer for Balogun was possible. But Emirates Stadium chiefs refused his request for the 21-year-old. Although their final decision over the forward’s long-term future remains out.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is still undecided over what role Balogun will possess back at the Premier League team. He now has Eddie Nketiah demonstrating his worth as Gabriel Jesus’ understudy. Balogun is also only under contract at the north London outfit until June 2025.
Balogun has stunned Arsenal with his efforts in France as Gunners chiefs never expected a season like his this term. The England U21 gem leads Ligue 1 for goals with 14 in 21 games over Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe and Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon on 13.
Now, Arsenal must weigh up where Balogun fits into Arteta’s long-term plans with his deal ending in 2025. The north London team knows that his form this season would now secure a hefty transfer fee. He will also have a host of suitors but Reims’ request was not enough.
Arsenal and Balogun are set for talks following his loan transfer to Stade de Reims
Arsenal are likely to reject all approaches for Balogun’s transfer over the summer like they did with Reims’ approach, though. The Sun expects Arteta to offer the striker the first few months of the 2023/24 season to show he can perform in the Premier League and Europe.
Yet club chiefs also fear that any failure to replicate his Reims form at the Emirates will see his value plummet. So, the Daily Mail has also reported that Arsenal and Balogun will hold talks about his future once he returns from his hugely successful loan transfer with Reims.
His efforts for the Stade Auguste Delaune side include a goal at Paris Saint-Germain to take a 1-1 draw. Balogun scored in the 96th minute before netting a hat-trick to beat FC Lorient last Wednesday. Reims boss Still was then full of praise for Balogun and his efforts on loan.
“He is brilliant,” Reims boss Still told talkSPORT. “He is absolutely brilliant and I am just not talking about the player. I am talking about the human being behind, as well. He has totally adapted to the environment he has come into.”
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