Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun.
According to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun is one of the targets Tottenham Hotspur are considering as a replacement for Harry Kane.
Balogun is available on the market this summer. The Gunners are keen to cash in whilst the American striker’s stock is high, following his prolific loan spell with Reims in Ligue 1 last season. Mikel Arteta has put the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, and Kai Havertz ahead of Balogun in the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium, so the club are looking to sell.
However, the 22-year-old forward won’t come cheap. Arsenal have already put a £50 million price tag on Balogun.
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That is certainly a figure that Spurs could stump up for, having just sold talismanic striker Harry Kane to German giants Bayern Munich in a deal worth up to £100 million. Kane leaves a huge hole in Ange Postecoglou’s squad, and there isn’t a huge amount of time left in the transfer window for Spurs to find someone else to lead the line.
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A deal that can’t be allowed to happen
Kane leaves some massive boots to fill at Spurs. He is the club’s record goalscorer, and there will be huge pressure on whoever comes in to take up his berth.
That is a challenge that Balogun may well relish, but there is no way that Arsenal can let the player make the move to Tottenham.
Even if Spurs meet Arsenal’s financial demands, technical director Edu simply cannot sanction a move that would take Balogun to the Gunners’ fiercest rivals. It would be seen as a disastrous piece of business by Arsenal fans. The risk of Balogun becoming a star for Spurs, and coming back to haunt Arsenal in future, is far too great.
Arsenal can’t countenance this move. They will have to find an alternative buyer for Balogun, and Spurs must look elsewhere for their Kane replacement.