Folarin Balogun, an Arsenal centre forward, is coveted by Chelsea
The Blues are keeping an eye on Balogun despite not having a striker to support Nicolas Jackson. Armando Broja is the only other striker on Chelsea’s squad, and he is still rehabilitating from a serious injury. According to Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, they do not want a new striker to enter the game and obstruct Broja’s path.
They might need to add another forward to their lineup, though, given that the Albanian international is still injured. Before making his senior squad debut in October 2020, Balogun was widely regarded as one of the club’s finest young stars.
He scored his first goal for Arsenal in the Europa League a month later. In the second half of the 2021–2022 season, Balogun moved to Middlesbrough of the Championship, where he scored three goals and provided three assists in 19 games. Last season, he was on loan at Reims and dominated Ligue 1. Balogun contributed to Reims’ 11th-place finish in the standings with 21 goals and two assists in 37 games.
This summer, he returned to Arsenal, but he has had trouble unseating Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. Given that Mikel Arteta has not used him this year, Balogun is prepared to quit the club this summer. The Blues’ interest in the American international may help him get the playing time he needs at Stamford Bridge.
Balogun will fetch a hefty price from the Gunners. Inter Milan baulked at their demands and chose to sign Marko Arnautovic in their place. Chelsea has demonstrated that they are not averse to forking over significant sums of money, but it is unclear whether they will actually do so.
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