Inter Milan have made Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun their no1 striker target after walking away in fury from talks to sign Romelu Lukaku.
The Gunners are ready to cash in on the 22-year-old, who excelled on loan at Stade Reims last season by scoring 22 goals in 39 matches.
Inter are unable to meet the £50million asking price, but could insert a buyback clause or offer a favourable percentage of any future sale to help drive down cost.
Mikel Arteta rates Balogun highly and has taken the striker on the club's pre-season tour of the United States.
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Balogun wants to be a regular starter next season - a role he is unlikely to get at Arsenal - and has previously stated that he “definitely won’t go on loan again” next season.
Inter’s interest follows their decision to walk away from talks to re-sign Lukaku from Chelsea.
The 30-year-old looked set for a quick return to San Siro after spending last season on loan at the Champions League finalists, but Inter withdrew a £34m offer after it was revealed Lukaku was simultaneously negotiating with rivals Juventus.
Juventus are now deemed favourites to sign Lukaku with a similar £32m-plus-£2m offer on the table, but it is conditional on the sale of striker Dusan Vlahovic.
Al-Hilal are also in the race but Lukaku would prefer to return to Italy rather than move to Saudi Arabia, despite the offer of a substantial pay rise.
