Arsenal may be open to selling ‘phenomenal’ £40m man to Chelsea – journalist

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Journalist Chris Wheatley appears to have suggested that Arsenal would be prepared to do business with Chelsea over Folarin Balogun amid reports the striker has held talks with the Blues.

Wheatley was speaking on The Chris Wheatley Show about the future of the USMNT international amid doubts over his future at the Emirates.

Few would be surprised to see Folarin Balogun leave Arsenal this summer. Previous reports from The Athletic have suggested that the 22-year-old is not keen to sign another contract and does not want to go out on loan again.

Arsenal may be open to selling Balogun to Chelsea

With Gabriel Jesus already at the club, it is going to be incredibly tough for Arsenal to provide Balogun with the assurances he is potentially looking for.

Reports from Football Transfers claimed that Balogun has held talks with Chelsea about a potential move.

That would be a bit of a sickener for some Gunners fans. But the two clubs have done plenty of business in recent times, with the latest deal seeing Kai Havertz move to Arsenal.

And while discussing Balogun’s situation, Wheatley appeared to suggest that Arsenal could be open to the idea of letting him join Chelsea – for the right price.

“We’ve already spoken about Leipzig and AC Milan as the two teams who are interested in signing Balogun. There’s a few more. And perhaps the most interesting team is Chelsea. They’ve cropped up again in the last couple of days. We know that Mauricio Pochettino is looking to bolster his squad this summer. And I think Flo Balogun is a player who would fit into his style of play. And again, he is available for a relatively cheap price of £40 million,” he told The Chris Wheatley Show.

“And Arsenal would be willing to do business as well. They’re open to offers for Flo Balogun. But again, they’ve set a price for him and they’re going to stick with it.”

Arsenal will be aware that there may not be too many sides willing to pay £40 million for Balogun. He has more than proved himself with a ‘phenomenal‘ spell in Ligue 1. But he is yet to really test himself in one of very best leagues.

So if Chelsea are happy to pay that kind of fee for Balogun, Arsenal may feel that it is a gamble worth taking. If he has no intention of staying – unless he receives assurances – cashing in may make a lot of sense.

The Gunners may have further plans for this window that they need to raise funds for. And Balogun’s stock is extremely high right now.

They have been vindicated for their ruthless decisions in recent years. Perhaps Arsenal feel that letting the forward potentially join Chelsea is another that would be in their best interests.