Folarin Balogun’s price tag has risen by £10million in the last six months after his impressive form in the second half of the season with loan side Reims.
According to Ben Jacobs in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, Arsenal would now likely ask for as much as £45m to let Balogun go as Inter Milan show an interest in the USA international.
Balogun could be a fine signing for Inter as an alternative to Romelu Lukaku, but it remains to be seen if they’ll be willing to pay quite as much as £45m for a player who’s had just one season of competitive top flight football.
Balogun certainly looks an elite prospect, but there’s no guarantee he’ll look quite as good for someone like Inter as he did at Reims, so it’ll b interesting to see if Inter try to negotiate that price down.
Arsenal are clearly aware they have a talent on their hands, though, while Inter might also have a bit more money to work with now that they’ve sold Andre Onana to Manchester United.
Providing an update on the situation, Jacobs said: “The other Arsenal player to keep an eye on is Folarin Balogun, who has made it clear to Arsenal he doesn’t want another loan. Balogun had an incredible season with Ligue 1 side Reims last campaign, scoring 22 goals in 39 games in all competitions.
“Arsenal would love to keep him but it’s hard to see him getting enough minutes next season to be satisfied. That’s why a sale is possible.
“Inter are weighing up a £35m (€40m) bid having turned their attention to Balogun after (at least for now) pulling out of signing Romelu Lukaku, seemingly furious at the Belgian striker for engaging with Juventus.
“In January Arsenal would have valued Balogun at £35m, but now they want at least £45m. Inter may have a bit more wiggle room after selling goalkeeper Andre Onana to Manchester United. Crystal Palace and West Ham are two of several other clubs who have Balogun on their radar.”