Folarin Balogun has been nothing short of a revelation out in France with Stade de Reims this season, and as such, transfer interest is building for the Arsenal talent.
With 18 goals in Ligue 1, the 21-year-old leads the French scoring charts and has equalled Glen Hoddle’s goalscoring record as an English player in a single season in the country, and as Balogun continues to score, the bigger Arsenal’s temptation likely grows to sell the forward in the upcoming transfer market.
As reported by the Athletic, Balogun is keen to play regular football next season and is willing to leave Arsenal to do so, and with a €40m (£34m) asking price as per Sky Germany, the Gunners could make serious bank on the England youth international this summer.
The question now is, which club could Balogun sign for? Here are our three suggestions.
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RB Leipzig
As per Sky Germany, RB Leipzig are one of the early frontrunners for Balogun’s signature, with the Bundesliga side keen to sign an attacker to replace the outgoing Christopher Nkunku. And given the club’s incredible record with developing youth players, this move could be the best one possible for the Arsenal striker.
With Leipzig having the money to spend, matching Arsenal’s demands will be no issue for the east German side, with Balogun also having the potential to grow massively as a player in the Bundesliga, a division where English talents are and have flourished in recent years.
Moreover, if Arsenal can get certain clauses in the deal right, there’s a more than likely chance that the north London side could profit even further from Balogun’s potential Germany adventure, with Leipzig more than likely to sell on the forward in the future for a decent profit.
AC Milan
Another big European club with a recent interest in Balogun is AC Milan, with CalcioMercato reporting that the Rossoneri are keen to sign the Arsenal striker as their long-term replacement for the likes of Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Given Milan’s transfer policy in recent years that has transformed the Serie A giants from fallen giants to title-winners, Balogun makes a lot of sense as a target for Stefano Pioli’s side, who has already found immense success in the English market in the form of Fikayo Tomori.
With Milan set for a UEFA Champions League run to at least the semifinals, the funds could be there for the Lombardy-based club to sign Balogun this summer, and the striker himself could relish in the chance to play for such a history team in a division that could take his game to the next level.
Brighton & Hove Albion
The financial strength of the Premier League has made the English top-flight something of a pseudo-European Super League, with last January seeing clubs like AFC Bournemouth and Southampton out-muscle some of the continent’s biggest and more historic teams for winter targets, and a similar situation could happen with Balogun.
Deciding on team, though, is a somewhat easy task, with Brighton & Hove Albion a club who have made incredible strides in the past few months under Roberto De Zerbi and could now well finish in a European spot, with the Seagulls also keen on signing a quality striker.
Whilst Evan Ferguson has established himself as the latest attacking sensation in the Premier League, adding Balogun to the mix could give Brighton an immense level of firepower for the new season, with the Arsenal striker a perfect fit for De Zerbi’s system and a perfect partner for the Republic of Ireland wonderkid.