Arsenal star Folarin Balogun is having an unbelievable campaign on loan in France, and Gooners can’t wait to see him back in the famous red and white.
The 21-year-old joined Stade Reims for the season last summer. Everyone expected him to have a decent campaign there, but nobody thought he’d become an absolute superstar.
Balogun has scored 18 goals in the Ligue 1 so far – just one behind the top scorers Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David. That has made him a wanted man.
Why Pele Is Overrated.
Folarin Balogun makes decision on his Arsenal future
Arsenal fans woke up to some worrying news from David Ornstein yesterday.
The journalist reported in his column on The Athletic that Balogun wants to be the first-choice striker next season, preferably at Arsenal, and he isn’t ready to budge on that demand.
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The 21-year-old isn’t ready to go out on loan again either, which would be his third after half a season with Middlesbrough last term and the whole of this campaign at Reims in France.
To make things worse for Arsenal, he isn’t ready to sign a new contract at the club if he isn’t the first choice, which complicates things for Edu and Mikel Arteta.
Balogun will enter the final two years of his contract and he is being targetted by AC Milan, Inter Milan, Marseille, Monaco and RB Leipzig. The report claims he is attracted by the prospect of joining a few of these sides as well.
The Insider’s View:
Well, Balogun’s off, isn’t he?
There’s absolutely no way Mikel Arteta will guarantee him a first-choice role at Arsenal when we already have Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard.
The best option would ideally be to extend Balogun’s contract and send him out for another season on loan, perhaps to a Champions League club or a side here in the Premier League. The report claims he isn’t ready to do either.
Arsenal are now left with no choice but to cash in on him – unless Arteta can get him in for a meeting and convince him to change his stance.
