Arsenal could sell Folarin Balogun despite rejecting January bid

By Jordan Harris

Arsenal rejected a bid from Reims for Folarin Balogun during the January transfer window, but The Sun reports that the Gunners could decide to sell the striker in the summer.

Balogun has been a ‘brilliant‘ revelation out on loan this season. He went into the campaign off the back of an uninspiring loan spell at Middlesbrough last term. But he has certainly managed to prove a point.

The 21-year-old is the leading goalscorer in Ligue 1, scoring 14 times in 21 games so far – one clear of Kylian Mbappe and former Gunners teammate Alexandre Lacazette.

Arsenal could sell Balogun

He is certainly staking a claim ahead of his return to the Emirates in the summer. Both Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah have been outstanding this season. But Jesus has not always been prolific, and more recently, has been sidelined with injury. Meanwhile, Nketiah still has plenty to prove despite his brilliant run of form recently.

Unsurprisingly, Reims made an attempt to try and ensure Balogun stayed for longer. However, The Sun reports that Arsenal knocked back the bid from Will Still’s men.

But that may not mean that the Gunners will definitely keep the forward. The Sun suggests that Arsenal could yet decide to cash in given his high stock and the competition he has in the pecking order.

It will be very interesting to see how Mikel Arteta manages the situation with his strikers in the summer. Obviously, you would imagine that Jesus will continue to be a cornerstone of his plans.

Nketiah has been better than many expected this season. But so has Balogun. So keeping all three men happy is going to be extremely tricky.

Balogun is unproven in the Premier League at this stage. So perhaps Arsenal may feel that keeping their options open makes sense in case they receive a huge offer for the youngster.