ARSENAL could cash in on Folarin Balogun in the summer despite the striker currently outshining Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in France.
Balogun, 21, is the leading scorer in Ligue 1 with 14 goals for Stade de Reims.
And no-one has been more surprised by his success than Arsenal, who didn’t anticipate him being so prolific when they agreed to loan him to the French minnows for the season.
But Reims’ English boss Will Still has been so impressed with the New York-born target man he describes as “a super complete striker” that he asked if they could sign Balogun on a permanent deal in the recent transfer window.
That request was rejected by Arsenal, who have still not decided what to do with Balogun or whether he plays a part in Mikel Arteta’s long-term plans.
But with only 18 months remaining on his Emirates contract, they will either have to hand Balogun a lengthy new deal at the end of the season or sell him for maximum profit.
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And they certainly won’t be short of offers for a player who didn’t exactly set the Championship alight when he was loaned out to Middlesbrough for the second half of last season.
Now Arteta must determine if there is a realistic chance of Balogun forcing his way in front of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah to lead the Arsenal attack.
The most likely scenario at the moment is that they will keep him at the club for the first half of the season to see if he is ready to play at Premier League and Champions League level.
And if he is unable to pin down a regular place in the team, he would then be sent out on loan again to gain more regular first team football.
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But that cannot happen if he is in the final year of his contract and eligible to leave as a free agent in 2025.
And Arsenal’s concern is that if they do keep him next season and he fails to maintain the form he is currently showing, his market value will drop.
England Under-21 international Balogun, who is also eligible to play for the USA and Nigeria, recently insisted: “Arsenal is my family.
“But I’ve spent my whole career in England and I knew it was going to be a different test when I came to Reims.
“I didn’t know the language and I’m still trying to learn, but it was important for me to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself.
“That’s the reason I’m here and hopefully it’s a decision that will pay off for me.
“I’ve already reached my target for the start of the season and now I want to do even better and I’m hoping to score 20 goals.”
If he succeeds in that ambition, it will be hard for Arteta to ignore the clamour for Arsenal to keep Balogun and make him a part of their plans.
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But the feeling within the club is that it takes a lot more to shine in the Premier League than it does in France.
And until Balogun has shown that he can succeed against the best teams in England the jury remains out.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
