EMMANUEL PETIT is expecting Arsenal to cash in on Folarin Balogun this summer.
The striker has excelled on loan at French outfit Stade de Reims this season which has seen his stock rise.
Balogun, 21, has enjoyed a remarkable campaign and is among the top scorers in Ligue 1.
The young striker has netted 19 goals and provided three assists in 32 games, helping Reims to 8th place in the table.
His rise to prominence was not expected to happen so quickly as he had only scored five goals in his 30 senior appearances before this season.
But despite this scintillating form, Arsenal legend Petit thinks he will be sold this summer.
He told Legal Sportsbooks: “I don’t know if they will continue with the strikers they have.
“They’ve got Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus.
“Folarin Balogun I think will be put on the market to be sold.
“There are so many clubs in France, and not just in France, who are very interested in him.”
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Balogun is likely to have many suitors in the Premier League in the upcoming transfer window, which has seen Arsenal slap a £26.5million price tag on his head.
He has also been named as a reported target RB Leipzig and AC Milan.
Petit believes that the money brought in from his potential sale could help strengthen Mikel Arteta’s side, as the team needs “need four or five new players in the team”.
He added: “In midfield I think they need to add at least two players. Someone who can play in [Martin] Odegaard’s position. We’ve got [Emile] Smith-Rowe but he hasn’t had much playing time in the last few months.
“A central defender as well. When you look at the big teams in Europe they’ve got four strong defenders to choose from. You need to have some competition for players to earn their place.
“They’ve got two right backs but [Takehiro] Tomiyasu has been injured for such a long time. Ben White has been tremendous but you cannot expect players not to be injured during the season.
“[Gabriel] Martinelli has been tremendous and [Bukayo] Saka as well, but you can feel, especially with Saka, that he’s been tired recently. [Leandro] Trossard can play as a right winger or as a left winger but you probably need one more player that can play on the wings.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
