€60m Arsenal man tipped to replicate Osimhen in Serie A as return to former club is ruled out
According to reports, Arsenal’s asking price for forward Folarin Balogun has all but ruled out a return to Ligue 1 this summer.
Balogun has been highly-rated throughout his spell at Arsenal and he made the most of his loan at French outfit Reims last season.
He was among the leading scorers in Ligue 1 last term as he scored 21 goals in the league.
With Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah ahead of him in the pecking order at Arsenal, Balogun is being heavily linked with a move elsewhere amid interest from AC Milan and RB Leipzig.
Last month, it was claimed that Balogun has been asked to ‘find a new club’ after he refused to engage in talks with Arsenal over a new contract.
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio is reporting that Arsenal “want at least 60 million euros” for Balogun and RB Leipzig “could be the right choice for him”.
“Folarin Balogun is on AC Milan’s list and they want him. He’s also on Roma and Napoli’s list, Napoli they’ll try if Victor Osimhen leaves,” Di Marzio told wettfreunde.
“He is on the list of every club in the world who needs a striker but the price Arsenal are asking is very high.
“At the start of the transfer window, everyone thought Arsenal wanted him back on loan but they don’t want that. That’s totally impossible.”
He added: “If they let him go, they want at least 60 million euros. At least. So the price for Balogun is very high and at the moment it’s difficult for an Italian club to pay that kind of money.
“I think it’s more likely that he goes to RB Leipzig and they could be the right choice for him. I would like to see him in Italy because he can be like Victor Osimhen. He can become one of the best strikers in Europe.”
French football expert Jonathan Johnson meanwhile is reporting that Arsenal’s asking price – £50m (€58.5m) according to him – will “prohibit a return to Ligue 1”.
“Folarin Balogun’s future is still not resolved, but based on what I saw from him in Ligue 1 last season in his loan spell with Reims, Arsenal’s reported £50m asking price is a lot,” Johnson told Caught Offside.
“He’s essentially only had one really good prolific season – don’t get me wrong, he’s a very exciting talent and I think there will be more to come from him at club level and also with the US Men’s National Team, but to be talking about £50m now seems very steep and will almost certainly prohibit a return to Ligue 1.
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