Chelsea chief Todd Boehly may play a part in deciding Folarin Balogun’s future, with the Arsenal youngster supposedly a target for RB Leipzig ahead of the summer transfer window. The Blues’ pre-agreed £53million deal for Christopher Nkunku is set to force the German side into the market – potentially at the Gunners’ expense.
Balogun has presented Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta with a major headache due to his blistering form on loan at Reims. The 21-year-old had only scored five senior goals before heading to Ligue 1, where he has so far registered 19 in 31 matches.
But the Gunners may be forced to let the youngster go this summer as fellow strikers Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah battle it out for the lone starting spot up front at the Emirates. And Chelsea’s move for Nkunku, which is set to be made official at the end of the season, could be the final nail in the coffin.
According to Sky Germany, Leipzig are on the prowl as they look to replace Nkunku, who has scored 32 goals in 52 Bundesliga games since the start of last campaign.
Balogun has reportedly made the shortlist of the German outfit, who view him as a ‘very interesting’ player. Leipzig’s reputation for putting faith in youngsters could make it an enticing prospect for the Arsenal star, who himself has refused to rule out moving on in the summer.
Gunners legend Ian Wright is a huge fan of the striker, calling for him to be given a chance in north London, despite Jesus and Nketiah already coming up with the goods. “Hopefully he can come back to Arsenal at some stage and prove himself,” he told Wrighty’s House.
“He’s gone to another level in confidence. I think anywhere he goes in aspect of leagues, he’ll do what he is doing [in France] with the right service. I guarantee you if he comes back, he probably picks up from what he’s doing in that league.”
Arteta, who could effectively blame Chelsea’s Nkunku deal for ushering Balogun towards the exit door, has been similarly complimentary about the Ligue 1 goal machine, describing him as a ‘special’ player and looking ahead towards crunch talks in the summer.
“I’m really happy for him because he deserves what he’s getting,” he claimed. “When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it’s just incredible. It’s very rare to see that.
“But he’s got something special, that’s why we decided to give him a long-term contract and have faith in him. The plan is now he finishes his loan period, we assess the situation, where he is, where we are. Then we sit down and plan the next chapter in his career.”
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