Folarin Balogun has delivered his final transfer plea to Mikel Arteta in the hope of remaining an Arsenal player and the club's first-choice striker. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a fruitful season in France on loan at Reims where he has scored 21 Ligue 1 goals from 37 appearances which looks to have given him the best chance of being integrated back into the Gunners first team upon his return to north London.
Unfortunately for Balogun, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus both appear ahead of him in the pecking order which would make regular minutes hard to come by. Having missed just one league game all season, a bit-part role is unlikely to satisfy the needs of Balogun and therefore a permanent departure looks likely with numerous interested parties keeping tabs on his situation.
The Athletic are reporting that AC Milan, Inter Milan, RB Leipzig, Marseille and Monaco are all in the summer race for his signature. Serie A champions Napoli are the latest team to throw their name in the hat as they potentially look for a Victor Osimhen replacement.
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Staying at Emirates Stadium, while unlikely, is still a possibility considering he has contract until 2025 and talks about his future this summer will still take place. Despite having less senior minutes than Jesus and Nketiah, there is one thing in Balogun's favour that may change Arteta's current attacking plans.
Although they each played less minutes, the goal tallies of Jesus and Nketiah combined is a lower number than goals for Balogun this season. Six European clubs showing an interest is therefore no surprise and Balogun got the chance to deliver his final message to Arteta before talks about his future occur.
In Reims' last Ligue 1 game of the campaign, Balogun scored to put them in front against Montpellier with a poachers goal from six yards out after a flick-on from a corner. Balogun's team did go on to lose the game 3-1 but that strike kept Balogun's minute-to-goal ratio at 144.
While to some, that goal is seen as his last-gasp message to Arteta, to others at Arsenal it could be another £1million added to his valuation. With several clubs interested, the Gunners are said to currently be demanding £35million for his services this summer and if a move is sanctioned, the likelihood of a buyback clause being inserted into his contract is likely.
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